


Founder's Day

by Laurabella2930



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Olicity Prompt, Oliver Queen & Felicity Smoak friendship, Protective Oliver Queen, Rivalry, Romantic Soulmates, Werewolves, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:28:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 38,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26623654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laurabella2930/pseuds/Laurabella2930
Summary: Inspired by Olicitytropes Halloween fic ideas.Every feud has a beginning…The feud between a certain witch and a certain werewolf wasn't an exception to the rule. Taonga Heights annual founder's day is coming and a string of attacks threatens to destroy a truce that's lasted for 400 years. Now Felicity a witch has to befriend Oliver a werewolf. Both have hated each other since childhood or have they? Can two rivals learn to get along as friends or might why discover they're meant to be more...
Relationships: Donna Smoak & Felicity Smoak, Moira Queen & Oliver Queen & Robert Queen, Moira Queen & Oliver Queen & Thea Queen, Oliver Queen & Felicity Smoak, Quentin Lance & Felicity Smoak, Sara Lance & Felicity Smoak, Tommy Merlyn & Oliver Queen
Comments: 58
Kudos: 51





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I suck at summaries so it's a Halloween story and yeah so give it a shot...
> 
> Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. I own nothing in relation to Arrow outs characters.

**Chapter One: Beginnings**

Every feud has a beginning…

The feud between a certain witch and a certain werewolf wasn't an exception to the rule. 

Taonga Heights was a small settlement made in the early 1500's by two different families. The town which was about two hours away from Salem, Massachusetts hugged the shore of a small cove. It was quiet, small and extremely hard to find which created a safe haven for anyone looking for a place to hide. 

The founding families had one simple rule that governed how they lived. No one from either family would harm a human life. If that rule was broken then an endless war would drench the streets in rivers of innocent blood…

Felicity glanced up over the top of the book. She noticed that she hadn't completely lost them so decided to ask an exploratory question. 

"Now since everyone here knows the town legend does anyone know why the streets would be covered in blood?" 

Felicity carefully scanned the faces before her. Some looked completely unaffected like she'd been reading them the weather report. A few looked scared which admitily was the goal she'd been aiming for and the others looked curious. Felicity spotted one of her more enthusiastic students at the back of the class. Her hand was raised high with her fingers dangling back and forth. Her red hair and freckled nose seemed to vibrant with energy while she mouthed, "Pick me, pick me, pick me.." 

Seeing that not one other student had their hand raised she gently said, "Alright Tabatha tell me why." 

The young woman beamed brightly. "It's because one family were witches and the other were werewolves," she answered happily with a twinkle in her blue eyes. 

Felicity sat at the edge of her desk. Her black rimmed glasses slipped along the bridge of her nose when she slightly tilted her head. Her blonde hair was tied back into a high ponytail and her pink lips matched her light pink sweater. Her gray trousers wrinkled slightly as she crossed her ankles and leaned the points of her heels against the floor. "That's right Tabatha now for a chance not to have any assigned homework for the night can you tell me why that's an important fact?" 

Felicity let the question linger before her like a dinner plate before she saw the young woman's eyes once again sparkle. "Because witches and werewolves are sworn enemies. Witches protect humans while it's theorized that werewolves hunt them every full moon," she answered quite easily as the class around her cheered. 

Tabatha blushed at the attention which caused Felicity to smile. "That's right again Tabatha and, that also means you all have her to thank for a homework free night!" Felicity added as she glanced at the clock. She had five minutes left before her captive audience became an empty classroom. "Okay but Ms. Smoak let me ask you this?" 

Felicity held the book that she'd been reading from against her stomach. The brown leather binding cracked as she wrapped her arms around it. "Ask away Mason," she replied with a small amount of happiness. Getting teenagers engaged in history could be a very difficult task and that was on a good day. 

Mason was an athlete and fairly well liked by most of the student body. His jet black hair fell over his wide forehead reminding her of someone that caused her temper to flare. "So according to this book the murder that happened 400 years ago was what created the agreement?" he asked with genuine curiosity. 

Felicity smiled. That's why she'd chosen to have what she called a fantasy day when they took a detour from the approved class curriculum.It was also her way of making sure no one ever learned the truth. "Yes," Felicity replied. "The book states…" she opened the book to the exact page and began to read. "Duncan the leader of the Phoenix coven killed the pack Alpha's mate. Duncan claimed she'd attacked and killed a young boy. Per him Lydia the mate of the Pack Alpha had to be destroyed before she hurt someone else. That was the night the feud between the families began. It was also the night that an unsteady truce was made," she read just before the bell to end the class rang. "Okay so tomorrow we're going to delve further into our town's history in order to prepare for Founder's Day. So enjoy your evening and I'll see you all tomorrow!" Felicity called out while her students quickly began to vacate the room. 

Felicity was saying goodbye and watching them leave when Mason pulled his bag over his shoulder until the strap fell along his chest. "So you think that story might really be true?" he asked once he was sure that his fellow classmates had left the room. 

Felicity sighed as she smiled. "No, it's just a story that I was told every Halloween and I thought it might be more interesting than the traditional Founder's day fair that your other teacher likes to read," she answered as the young man nodded. 

"Well it was a smart move Ms. Smoak," he told her before he sauntered towards his gaggle of waiting friends just outside the classroom door. 

Felicity laughed mostly to herself as she glanced at the clock to check her time. Seeing she only had ten minutes she quickly placed the aged book into her shoulder bag and turned off the classroom lights. She then locked her desk drawers and exited the room with her cell phone in hand. She was beginning to dial when she was abruptly stopped by a harsh, masculine, "Ms. Smoak might I have a word…" 

Felicity scowled. She mumbled, "Today is just not my day," before she glanced up from her phone. His icy blue eyes narrowed at the corners the way they always did whenever they were forced to exchange words. He squared his chiseled jaw. His arms were crossed against his sculpted chest. Felicity could almost make out the lines along his abdominal muscles through the light blue collared shirt. The muscles of his forearms rippled when he lightly rapped his fingers along his upper arms. He was tall, attractive and when he smiled she used to feel her knees go weak but then he'd speak and her stomach would knot. Felicity mentally cursed whatever God's existed as she tersely replied, "I'm running late for an appointment Mr. Queen so my answer is happily no," then bowed her head before quickly walking down the nearly empty hall and towards the parking lot. The man behind her frowned but made no attempt to follow her. She'd have to talk to him sooner or later and he knew it would be sooner. 

* * *

  
  


Felicity entered the brightly lit coffee house with a loud exhale before she gave her mother a breathy, "Sorry I'm late…" 

Donna smiled as she pushed a mug of warm cider with cinnamon towards her daughter. "It's perfectly fine sweetie. I actually haven't been here very long," she offered as Felicity took the seat beside her. The coffee house this month resembled a Halloween explosion with carved pumpkins along the counter and near the doors. Fall leaves hung from the rafters with golden lights wrapped around them for a festive flare. The building was small but cozy with five orange tables and four black chairs each. The chalkboard behind the counter changed daily as did what was offered. The counter was covered with flyers for local singers and poets and even two cash registers. Felicity took a sip of the offered cider then immediately frowned when she felt something bitter hit the tip of her tongue. 

"Oh this can't be good," she moaned dismilly before placing the cup firmly back on the table. Donna's eyes flickered to her feet. Felicity immediately crossed her arms along her chest before leaning back into her seat. "Out with it," Felicity demanded as gently as her annoyance would allow. 

Donna sighed heavily, "I was hoping the cinnamon was strong enough to hide the sage…" 

Felicity clicked her tongue before she mumbled, "You tried to spell me into being calm which means you're about to tell me something I don't want to hear…" 

Donna glanced into Felicity's questioning eyes as she brought her fingers together beneath her chin. "Have you been reading the paper lately?" she asked as Felicity glared. 

"Every morning before work why?" Felicity answered with a bit of anger creeping into her tone. 

Donna once again sighed, "Then you're aware of the attacks that have been occuring for the past few months when there's a full moon…" 

Felicity felt ambushed when she realized why Oliver Queen wanted to speak with her… "Oh you can't be serious?" she gasped as Donna's eyes fell to the table. 

"It was our first theory but they all have alibis for the nights in question," she said before Felicity could even voice the question. 

Felicity gazed widely at the woman she called her mother. Donna was a petite blonde with gracefully blue eyes and a beautiful face. Her long blonde locks fell over her shoulders in waves when Felicity finally rasped, "So if it's not their pack then who is it?" 

Donna shrugged. Her blue eyes sharpened as she glanced about the room. She silently muttered before she whispered, "It looks like a werewolf attack but your father nor I have detected any other pack within 100 miles of the center of town. We've spelled the boundaries and nothing. No warnings or visions, nothing for almost a month and then last night another attack." 

Felicity now willing, took a gulp of the now cooling cider. "Have the townspeople started asking questions?" 

"Not yet," Donna murmured before her eyes grew almost dark. "But your uncle called and they're hearing reports about the attacks. They want answers or they're going to eliminate the perceived threat during Founder's Day." 

Felicity felt her throat run dry. "Mom, I'm not exactly a fan of the Queen family but if they're innocent we can't let them die. After all this whole damn feud started because Duncan Smoak killed the Alpha's mate and I'd hate to let history repeat itself," she realized as Donna slowly began to smile. 

Felicity didn't like that smile. That smile meant trouble and pain for Felicity. "It's funny you should say that…" Donna began with a new energy to her tone. 

Felicity immediately rambled, "Oh no… No that's not happening you completely delusional woman." 

Donna laughed slightly. "Felicity it's the only way…" 

Felicity argued softly, "No it's not! I'm a witch and he's a werewolf that share, an extremely complicated relationship!" 

"True but, you're the next coven leader and he's the next Alpha for his pack. You two are the future of our families so…" Donna let her sentence drop as a few customers passed by behind them. 

Felicity scowled but kept her voice low, "You're not seriously asking me to befriend Oliver Queen are you?" 

"Not exactly," she answered uneasily. 

Felicity's tone dropped until she realized why some of her students feared her, "You want me to find out if they know of another pack that might be responsible don't you?" 

Donna nodded before she finally said, "Yes. Our spells haven't detected anything but your uncle wants to make sure. So…" 

She let the word dangle like a knife above Felicity's head. Felicity took another gulp of the sage laced cider. "I'm guessing you've set up a meeting?" Felicity gulped right before she downed the rest of the cider. 

Donna almost clapped, she was so elated. "Midnight at the cemetery at Duncan and Lydia's headstones," she answered as she began to stand.

Felicity felt herself slumping in her chair as she muttered, "Today completely sucks…" 

Donna chuckled as she smoothed out the wrinkles on her blue sweater. "Oh sweetie let's look at the bright side. Oliver's an attractive man who has yet to find a mate and wolves mate for life…" she not so casually hinted before she left through the front door. 

Felicity let her neck fall back along the rim of the chair. Of course her mother would try to hook her up with Oliver, Felicity mused quietly. The shop around her grew louder as people came in for the afternoon caffeine fix. Felicity let herself wallow in her temporary despair as she realized that she was going to have to talk to Oliver Queen…

* * *

  
  


Felicity opted to walk to the cemetery. The night air was still warm enough for her to enjoy being out with a light jacket. The path leading to the town cemetery had been repaved last summer in order to add in a bike path. Felicity marveled at the changes she'd witnessed in the past few years. After Robert Queen was elected Mayor and her father Quentin Lance was made the town Sheriff the town had undergone quite a few changes. The roads were improved with bike paths that led all over the downtown area. The street lining shops were repainted and some were repaired for new owners. 

They formed a city council that wasn't just decendents of the original town founders. They looked for more energy efficient options for heating and cooling of the public buildings. They even found a way to make it so the town had free WiFi anywhere with the city limits. They made a good team and despite the messy family history they'd actually become good friends. Donna and Moria even found common ground when they both decided to join the town beautification committee. Sara and Tommy were cordial but Felicity knew that when she or Oliver weren't around they were actually very good friends. Thea who was away at college had been one of her students almost 2 years ago. She still got an email from her about once a month just to tell her how she was doing. The only two people who shared a complicated relationship were her and Oliver. She was about to mentally list why they couldn't decide what they were but her phone buzzed against her hip. She tapped the Bluetooth device she had in her ear. Her sister Sara's voice flooded her head with tired tones. "I can't believe you agreed," she started. 

Felicity sighed,"Oh trust me neither can I…" 

Felicity opened the rusted out gate and left the walking path as Sara yawned into her ear. "So do you think it's them?" 

Felicity exhaled softly, "Honestly no. The Queen family, Oliver included wouldn't risk exposure for them or even us." 

Sara seemed to silently agree before she asked, "Do you think you and Oliver can actually put your differences aside and you know be civil?" 

Felicity honestly didn't know. Since she was born one thing was made very clear Oliver Queen was one day going to be the Alpha. Felicity was going to be leader of her family and that made them natural enemies. They met when they were in kindergarten. He was outgoing and easy to like. Felicity was shy, and a bit socially awkward. All it took was him calling her four eyes and their rivalry was on. After that they competed for everything from who had the highest GPA to who would get to speak at graduation. Oliver if she was being truthful had been her one constant. He was the first person she thought of when she woke up and often the last person she thought of before she went to bed. He kept her motivated and pushed her to be more than just a witch. It was that very fact that made her aware of how important he'd been in her life. 

Their rivalry even pushed them to both become history teachers. He worked with the younger children while she dealt with the teenagers. In a sense he was the one person who was always there…

She just happened to have some very conflicting feelings towards him that high school and college had created. Although sometimes when she was honest with herself she had to wonder why. 

Finally realizing she needed to speak honestly mumbled, "I don't know if we can get along but, if we don't at least try then his family might pay the price." 

"You really think Sam would use the attacks to say they violated the truce?" Sara yawned as Felicity awkwardly side stepped a few tree roots. 

"He's never been a fan of us living in the same town with a wolf pack just down the street Sara. He would happily use the attacks to bring the entire coven into town to destroy the pack," Felicity replied as she reached the headstones for Duncan and Lydia. 

Sara must have begun to nod off because Felicity could hear soft snoring sounds gently moving against her ears. Felicity chuckled and ended the call. Sara would call her around 5 am to apologise while she was racing around the coffee shop to get ready for the morning rush. 

"Well...I guess I just wait?" She casually asked the wind as she stood with crossed arms before the two headstones. "You know it's your fault," she mused towards her great great grandfather's headstone. If you had just left Lydia alone we wouldn't be in this mess." 

"Same could be said for Lydia," a strong male voice replied from the shadows just behind the headstones. 

Felicity felt her entire body tense. Oliver slowly crept out from the shadows with his hands raised. Felicity kept her arms tightly wrapped against her chest. She looked him over slowly as he did her. His 6'1 frame looked rigid as she felt her heart slightly race. He had on a pair of sweatpants and a gray zip up hoodie. She could see the juncture of his throat where his collarbones met. His skin looked like stone beneath the pale moonlight. His calloused palms remained open as he slowly inched closer. 

Felicity felt his blue eyes looking up her 5'6 slender frame cautiously. Her blonde hair fell around her shoulders. Her knees shook making the denim of her skinny jeans shift against her skin. Her red jacket kept her trim waist hidden from view as they both finished their visual inspection. "So…this meeting was why you asked to speak to me?" Felicity started with a very safe sounding question. She knew they couldn't argue. They had to be civil and that meant she couldn't snap at his every word. 

Oliver nodded. He kept his distance as he slowly lowered his hands. "Yes and thanks for not using a stunning spell," he breathed as he quickly shoved his hands in his pockets. "So you know why we're here?" he asked once Felicity felt her shoulders beginning to relax.

"The attacks in town appear to be wolf attacks but your pack wouldn't risk exposure like that," Felicity offered carefully with narrowed eyes. 

Oliver again nodded. "Exactly so you're supposed to get close to me in order to find out if I'm hiding anything right?" 

Oliver's tense tone caused Felicity to relax even more. They both felt forced into this which gave them common ground. "We all think you're innocent Oliver but my Uncle Sam doesn't. He wants to bring the entire coven into town," Felicity told him once she realized she was sensing fear. 

Oliver's eyes fell to the rotting ground. "So Sam wants to kill my pack," he whispered almost sadly. 

Felicity felt her heart crack a bit at the sadness she felt coming through his few words. "Yes, but I don't…" Felicity breathed rigidly. 

Oliver's eyes remained on the ground. His blonde hair had grown darker as the years passed. She could see his shoulders shaking slightly when he murmured, "Thank you for that…"

"Sure…" she replied quietly. "But ummm since we hate each other it might be strange if we suddenly start getting along," Felicity mentioned awkwardly. 

Oliver laughed but at what she wasn't completely sure. "Well then I suggest that we start acting like we've decided to bury the past and become friends at least until your father finds out who's really responsible for the attacks," he suggested carefully and very quietly. 

Felicity knew she had to agree. Sam had spies everywhere. If the next leaders of both sides were seen becoming friends like their father's had then he wouldn't go after the pack. That would also give her father enough time to find the real attackers and hopefully before Halloween and the next full moon. "So how should we do this? I mean umm should we go for coffee or something?" Felicity asked a bit nervously. 

"Umm how about a walk in the park by school?" Oliver offered. 

Felicity actually found she didn't hate the idea. "Okay so umm lunch hour tomorrow we'll meet in the parking lot?" 

Oliver agreed to her suggestion with a soft, "Agreed." 

With that both decided it was time to leave. "I guess until tomorrow then," Felicity sighed as she began to head back towards the front of the cemetery. 

Oliver mumbled nervously, "Until tomorrow," before he disappeared back into the shadows. 

Felicity mumbled to herself as she began her walk towards home, "Well that was different," then sent her sleeping sister a quick text. 

* * *

What Felicity didn't know was that once she was well past the gate Oliver quickly shifted into his wolf form. He kept still within the shadows of the woods as he watched her slowly walk away. His amber colored eyes stayed with her until her heartbeat no longer seemed to be beating in time with his own. 


	2. Get To Know Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity take a walk and more of their backstory is revealed. Meanwhile Oliver has to deal with his complicated feelings for Felicity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. I own nothing in relation to Arrow or it's characters.

**Chapter 2 Get to know me…**

After he left the cemetery Oliver ran for a few hours. He ran down to the cove and then back up through the woods until he was back in human form at his parents front door. His father Robert was with Quentin in the neighboring town to discuss the recent string of attacks. Oliver didn't bother knocking or even looking for a key. He knew that the door wasn't locked. Moira always felt that locking the door when all three of her children lived on the property wasn't necessary. Oliver kicked off his muddy shoes by the door before he walked past the double staircase and towards the one place his mother would be. When Robert was away Moira usually couldn't sleep so she often spent the night in his father's study. 

Oliver walked down the darkened hallway until he saw a small line of light escaping from underneath the closed door. Oliver could hear an old Mary Tyler Moore episode playing on the TV that was kept in a closed bookcase near the back of the room. Oliver rapped his knuckles lightly against the heavy oak door. He heard his mother laughing as she said, "How was the cemetery sweetheart?" 

Oliver opened the door and leaned against the frame. "It was alarming," he replied with a faint smile. 

Moira shifted her eyes to her eldest son. "So it happened again?" 

Oliver nodded as he crossed his arms along his chest. "I heard and felt her heartbeat just like I did in kindergarten, and throughout my entire life," he told her sadly. "Hating her isn't working anymore," Oliver breathed. "I'm honestly afraid of how much I'm beginning to want her," he admitted a bit too honestly. 

Moria sighed, "Well you have to push those feelings aside my darling boy. She's not an option and sadly she genuinely seems to hate you." 

Oliver wanted to agree but he'd felt her and he didn't feel hate. "What if I can't mom? What if I give in? Would it really be so awful if I were to mate with Felicity?" he asked in a jumbled mess of words. 

"Oliver she's not an option and that's the end of the conversation," she told him curtly before Oliver nodded and slowly walked back towards the front door. 

Oliver stopped thinking about last night when he glanced at his phone while his students began collecting their books. The bell to end the period had rang. He smiled as his sixth grade class began to disappear. Despite everything with his family and his strange relationship with Felicity he genuinely enjoyed his job. He enjoyed being surrounded by his student's energy and their uncomplicated views of the world. They were the reason for his truce with Felicity. He wanted this town and his students to have a future and he simply wanted that future to be peaceful. 

His phone buzzed against his hand as if the device itself was demanding his attention. The message was simple and straightforward, " **_Just ignore what you're feeling and focus on the task at hand. She's no longer someone you despise, she's now an ally and hopefully she'll become a trusted friend."_ **

Oliver sighed. His mother was many things but empathetic wasn't one of them. Last night after he'd felt and heard Felicity's heartbeat he'd begun to panic. The first sign that a wolf had found a possible mate was feeling and hearing their heartbeat. It was the first test to see if the two people could as the wolves put it mate. Mating wasn't just about sex although Oliver assumed that the experience of having sex with one's mate would be quite enjoyable. Mating was about two souls becoming one. It was about two heartbeats choosing to beat as one. It was about two people deciding that they accepted the other person and that they wanted to be with them for life. It was about commitment and in the end love which was why Oliver felt confused. Felicity was a witch and he thought someone he needed to hate but after last night he was wondering if maybe he didn't have to hate her at all...

Oliver shook the thoughts from his mind. He couldn't be in love with a witch and he certainly couldn't be in love with Felicity. But something in his gut told him he wasn't going to be given a choice. Nevertheless he replied with a quick, ," **_Understood,"_ ** then silenced the device before he placed it in his desk drawer. 

One student had yet to vacate when he stood to turn off the lights and lock the door to the classroom. He approached the young girl who was a transfer from another school in a town about two hours away. ,"Aren't you going to lunch with the rest of the class?" He asked as he approached her sullen form. 

She sniffed back a small cry as Oliver took a seat in the desk in front of her. Her brown hair covered her tear stained face as her small voice whispered, "The other kids aren't like me…they're talking about parties and boys or what's the best ice cream flavor…"

Oliver smiled slightly. The girl's name was Ava and she was a lot like Felicity he noted as he gently said, "Then change the conversation." 

Ava's puffy green eyes glanced up from the desk in confusion. "Ummm Mr. Queen don't take this the wrong way but ummm you're a boy and I don't think you understand what it's like to be a girl…" 

Oliver nodded before he said, "Touche but, I do have a younger sister and…" he debated whether to say what he wanted to say before he trusted what he'd felt at the cemetery. "Have you heard of a Ms. Smoak?" 

Ava nodded quickly. Her green eyes brightened as she said, "Yeah she's the really pretty history teacher for the big kids. She's also super nice! She helped me find my math class last week." 

Oliver chuckled, "Yes she is very pretty but she's also my friend and she, like you had a hard time making friends," he told her as the young child's eyes brightened. 

"Really? She's really your friend?" She asked in complete wonder. 

"Yes Ava, she really is," he answered as the warning bell for the next period rang. 

"And she was awkward too?" Ava asked quickly as she gathered her things. 

Oliver nodded gently. "She was but then one day she decided to change the conversation by showing people that being smart is nothing to be ashamed of," he explained while Ava began to stand. 

Ava slung her backpack over her shoulder as her green eyes glowed. "So basically be myself and stop worrying about what the other kids think right?" she asked as Oliver began to stand. 

"Or be brave and decide to change their conversations by deciding to say hi," Oliver suggested with a smile. 

Ava grinned before she took off towards the crowded lunchroom. Oliver shook his head as he slightly laughed. "If only my problem could be so easily fixed," he muttered aloud before he too left the now darkened classroom. He was going to have to make sure Felicity never knew how he really felt about her. 

* * *

  
Sara as predicted called at 5 am on the dot. She knew Felicity would be asleep so she left her a message that said she was sorry and that she actually thought that Felicity should give Oliver a chance. 

Felicity's first few classes went by quickly. Since the town was preparing for the Founder's day celebration the teachers were asked to engage the children in the town's history. Felicity of course had been reading her family history without them knowing it was about her family. By doing so all of her classes had managed to come up with games, and floats for the annual main street parade. Her story had inspired their imaginations to soar and that made her feel more pride than almost anything she'd ever done before. 

Felicity heard the 4th period bell ring. Her class filed out quickly while she locked up her desk. She glanced out the 1st story window that sadly overlooked the parking lot. Oliver was standing by a newer looking SUV that appeared to be light gray. Felicity grabbed her keys and flipped off the lights as she hurried down the cramped hall. Once she was through the doors the cooling fall air swam around her like a chilled blanket as the leaves fell slowly from the low hanging tree branches. Felicity pulled her red coat around her body as she scurried to where Oliver was waiting. The sun peeked out along the growing clouds as Oliver grew closer. To her surprise he offered her a small smile once she was close enough to hear him speak. 

"Hey," he breathed as Felicity's brown leather boots fell quiet against the asphalt. 

She rocked back and forth along the heels of her shoes as she said, "Hey back." 

Oliver again smiled which caused Felicity to feel slightly less awkward. His blue eyes seemed to shimmer as the sunlight captured his face. Felicity for a moment felt her pulse race. He was wearing a pair of black trousers with a dark blue collared shirt that had two buttons undone. His dress jacket fell over the lines of his well crafted form perfectly. Felicity gulped when she realized she'd been openly staring. Oliver's eyes crinkled at the corners when he said, "Should we start walking?" 

Felicity nodded quickly while Oliver extended his arm toward the path that led to the park. Felicity smiled at his gesture. His hand hovered above the small of her back before he quickly stowed his hands back in his pockets. With tense postures they began to walk. "So where should we start?" Felicity wondered aloud once they'd fallen in step by walking side by side. 

Her leather skirt swayed slightly with the motion of her hips as they found a comfortable gait. Oliver mulled over her question. "Well we've spent how many years hating each other?" 

Felicity smirked, "Well I think we were what six?" 

Oliver nodded, "Hmm kindergarten and the four eyes comment," he remembered verbally as they rounded the curve that led to the actual park. 

"And now we're 28 so let's see if you can do basic math," Felicity shockingly teased. 

Oliver's shoulders relaxed at the softness in her tone. "Well 22 years is a long time to be in constant competition," he teased back with the same softness to his tone that she had in hers. 

Felicity agreed by relaxing her own shoulders. "I didn't know you had a sense of humor," she mentioned before she added a teasing, "I thought your younger brother and sister were the funny ones?" 

Oliver actually chuckled which caused Felicity to smile more than half way. "Tommy and Thea are much funner than I'll ever hope to be," he admitted as he asked a question of his own. "So other than Sara and your parents who else from the coven lives in town?" 

"Fair question," Felicity realized out loud. If they were truly going to try and form some semblance of a relationship then he needed the facts. "Umm we have a few distant cousins that live out by the cove but otherwise no one else. Most of the coven actually moved up to the Boston area when Sam left about 20 years ago." Felicity felt strange as she ended her statement. She wasn't used to talking about her coven with those who weren't apart of it. Still Oliver had his own secrets that he seemed to be open to sharing. 

They moved along the path silently for a few moments while Oliver mused over her answer. The park wasn't busy like it would be on a Saturday or a Sunday. The swings had a few toddler's on them with their grandparents standing behind them. There was a seniors yoga class on the back lawn near the man made lake that butted up to a small line of willow trees. Felicity was becoming lost in the scenery before her when Oliver's voice broke through with tension and softness all at once. "I hate to say this but don't you feel strange? Like we're betraying our families by simply speaking honestly about who we are?" 

Felicity sighed with instant relief, "Completely!" 

Oliver's tense shoulders eased a bit more. "It's just I've been almost trained to hate you because of who we're both going to become and now our parents want us to shift our entire relationship from rivals to friends and it's honestly incredibly awkward," he admitted with ease.

Felicity found that she could relate, " I know. Yesterday I called my mother a delusional woman when she suggested we meet at all," she told him as they began to walk around the lake near the playground. 

Oliver found that thought humorous. "I hung on my mother so I had the same thought," he chuckled which in turn caused Felicity to smile once more. 

"So we both reacted very maturely," she laughed as the trail moved them through the dense trees before it would take them back to the school's parking lot. 

Oliver easily replied, "Well it could've gone worse. We could've said no." 

Felicity nodded at his statement. She noticed he still had his hands in his pockets and she still had her arms against her chest. They were becoming less tense but they still had their guards up. "True but I think deep down we both are willing to be civil if it means keeping the peace right?" 

Felicity let her honest question hang between them in hopes of an equally honest answer. "I'm willing to do anything to keep the peace between our families Felicity. We're the only pack within hundreds of miles and we're a small one. I don't have any cousins or aunts or uncles. I have my parents, Tommy and Thea," he easily stated with almost no tension evident in his tone. "I once had a girlfriend but that was when we were in Cambridge," he added again very honestly. 

"And since you're still single I'm guessing it didn't work out?" Felicity carefully pried since she had always wondered what had actually happened between Oliver and Rebecca. 

Oliver threw her a sideways glance, "I knew you were curious about Rebecca," he mused almost to himself. 

Felicity gave him a cheeky smile, "Of course I was," she answered without preamble. 

"Rebecca was a set-up by my mother. Her pack lives in Indiana. My mother thought that an alliance would be beneficial so she set us up. We cared about each other but I couldn't make the bond. So after two years I finally ended the relationship. It wasn't messy or dramatic, it just wasn't the right fit," he explained without giving her any real details. 

Felicity simply said "Oh," before she decided to follow his example. "Well since you were honest I'll repay the favor." 

Oliver lightly said, "Why thank you." 

Felicity threw him a weary glance but found she was smiling despite herself. "As you know we have our extended family but once I'm made the coven leader nothing my uncle may want will matter. As I told you last night Oliver I don't want any harm to befall you or your family and I too had a relationship while in Cambridge but it ended when I couldn't be honest about who I was," she concluded when a strange feeling of relief rushed through her veins. 

Oliver took the college discussion one step further. He couldn't help but be curious about the one moment that had caused them to both let their guards down. "So speaking of Cambridge do you have any other questions about those years?" His voice sounded uneven like he was fearful of the answer. 

Felicity felt uncertain about how she should answer. During her second year Oliver had saved her life. It was a late study night at the campus library. Felicity of course had lost track of time. Her boyfriend was passed out in his dorm from exams. The campus police had been doing extra patrols after a few students were mugged on their way back to the dorms. Felicity being a witch felt safe. She could handle a few muggers with absolutely no problem so she'd stayed at the library to finish her term paper. She remembered with a shiver how she'd been attacked from behind. To this day she could still feel his palms clawing at her clothes as he tried to drag her into a nearby bush. She also remembered Oliver screaming her name from across the court before the man who'd grabbed her was on the ground with a broken arm. Oliver touched her face with the tips of his fingers before he gathered her into his arms and held her until the police came. He held her shaking body for hours. He let her cry into his jacket. He even pressed a few soothing kisses to her forehead when she buried her face in his shoulder. He kept his hands moving soothingly up and down her back until the police had cleared them to leave. Felicity remembered that he made her feel safe and cared for. He made her feel loved and that's why neither of them ever talked about that night again. 

"You still with me over there?" Oliver teased her softly. 

Felicity smiled honestly. "I was just remembering the night you saved me…" she answered him quietly. "I mean you took off right after the police left but ummm you made me feel safe and oddly cared for," she admitted slowly. "I was really grateful for what you did," she told him softly. 

Oliver shrugged, "I'm glad I was there," he told her with an emotion she dare not name. "I should've talked to you after that night Felicity but I wasn't certain if I could or even should," he admitted openly. 

Felicity sighed knowingly. "I understand Oliver," she breathed softly. "I understand…" 

Oliver apparently decided to ask one more question and it was the one they both wanted to avoid. "What's your side's version of what happened 400 years ago?" 

Felicity's steps slowed slightly. "I was wondering when you were going to bring that up," she gulped audibly. 

Oliver didn't hide how he felt by shifting his tone. She could now feel resentment, confusion and even fear. Felicity realized that by letting her hear his feelings through his tone he was showing her respect. "It's the reason that we became rivals. It's the reason that the truce was created and it's why I've really never gotten to know you as a person until now. So yes Felicity we need to go there," he insisted while she found that she was beginning to agree. 

Felicity swallowed the lump in her throat then proceeded to speak, "According to my mother Duncan and Lydia were childhood friends. They were torn apart by family obligations and…" she took a steading breath. Oliver let her. He knew that this subject was difficult for them both. "According to Duncan's journal he found Lydia right before she was about to attack a little boy. He used a stunning spell but she still attacked and killed the boy. After that he killed her but only after she went after him," Felicity told him with shaky words and unsteady breaths. "We were told that he let himself be killed because he had taken the Alpha's mate," Felicity quietly added with a bit more anger then she'd meant. 

Oliver surprised her with an almost raw sounding, "You're allowed to be angry Felicity, we both are…" 

Felicity nodded silently. Oliver took his own heavy breath before he exhaled slowly. Like he had for her she gave him the space to speak once he was ready. "What you were told is very similar to what I was taught from a very young age," he commented with absolutely no anger evident in his shaky voice. "They were friends that apparently we're slowly becoming more," he explained as Felicity nearly froze. Oliver saw her slow steps stop. He glanced into her confused eyes for just a moment before he quickly looked away. Felicity felt her heart skip a small beat when his eyes were locked to hers. She also felt a small pang of loss when he'd looked away. "The theory was that Duncan killed Lydia because they'd become lover's and she was ordered to turn him away," Oliver further explained as Felicity's mind began to spin. 

"So two sworn enemies fell in love?" she murmured seemingly to the wind. 

Oliver's voice sounded almost tight when he mumbled, "Which makes you wonder if maybe we don't have to be enemies at all…" 

By the time his words left his lips they were back to the parking lot of the school. Felicity glanced at her wrist watch. They still had another 30 minutes before the next class period. "Maybe we could keep talking about that idea over a quick cafeteria lunch?" Felicity awkwardly suggested since her stomach had begun to rumble. 

Oliver raised his brows at her words. "Really?" 

Felicity shrugged and nervously rocked back and forth on the heels of her boots. His hands were still in his pockets and her arms were seemingly anchored to her chest but secretly she had enjoyed talking to him. "Really," she replied nervously before her eyes fell to the ground. 

Her eyes stayed on the ground until she heard him say, "I think I'd actually enjoy spending more time with you." 

This time it was Felicity's turn to say, "Really?" 

Oliver nervously replied, "Yeah, really."

With that they walked towards the lunchroom of the school building. Felicity's heart was beginning to pound and Oliver once again felt like it was beating in time with his own...


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity and Oliver have an unplanned meeting where Felicity gets to teach Oliver a simple chant. Then Felicity and Oliver both talk to their siblings about how they're feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. I own nothing in regards to Arrow or it's characters. 
> 
> Also translation for the chant was provided by Google Translator.

**Chapter 3 Unplanned meeting**

It had been two days…

She and Oliver hadn't spoken in two days and she was oddly miffed by the entire situation. Before two days ago not speaking to Oliver was considered a gift and now he had her completely baffled. 

Granted after their walk and subsequent lunch they both decided they needed some space. They'd spent over 20 years thinking they were supposed to hate each other. They were never supposed to be friends and she certainly wasn't supposed to be wondering what he might look like without his shirt on…not that she hadn't been secretly wondering since sophomore year of high school but that wasn't the point. 

None of this was supposed to be happening and yet she wasn't unhappy that it was. Being a witch often made Felicity feel alone. When most people heard the word they thought of crooked noses with warts and long pointed hats. They envisioned flying with brooms and casting spells to steal love or youth. They thought of movies where the witch had to be destroyed and in reality it was nothing like that at all. Felicity didn't have the ability to fly although that never stopped her from trying she remembered painfully. She didn't cast spells or chant to curse someone she didn't care for. Her power came from the Earth. She could chant but to repair, mend or heal something or someone that was hurt or broken. The spells she used helped those who were sick with the cold or even a flu. She had heightened senses when it came to emotions and sometimes she could read another's thoughts. The only defense power she had was a stunning spell that could blast someone into another room. If she focused she could move small objects with her mind but it required a great deal of effort. 

Nevertheless Felicity often chose to avoid forming emotional connections. She knew she would eventually have to tell them about who she really was and she'd never felt she could truly let someone else in. Oliver however was like her. He had a secret to protect and a family he clearly adored. Felicity hated to admit this even to herself but being with Oliver made her feel normal. He accepted her as she was. He didn't need to understand who she was he already did. Oliver was the one person who Felicity could completely relate to and it truly freaked her out. This fact and many others had led to her single status on a Saturday night. 

The moon above her was still a sliver but it cast down enough light for her to see the dark words on the aged parchment pages. The meadow was just that, an empty patch of land that was fairly close to the Queen estate. It was far enough from the town that she knew she wouldn't be found chanting but also close enough for her to find help if she ran into trouble. It was also where Sara chose to plant her garden… for what reason Felicity never knew but she claimed it was good. 

Felicity took out the small pocket knife from her shirt pocket. She carefully cut into the bark of the tree that she was leaning up against. Once she saw the color underneath was green she knew she could use the energy from the tree to help focus the purification chant she used on anything that she brought into Sara's coffee shop. 

"So should we gather thyme, ginger or maybe dandelions?" She asked the soft night air as it moved swiftly through the trees. 

The wind of course didn't provide her an answer and she knew it wouldn't. The fact was Felicity hated that she had no one to share these small moments with. If she was being honest Felicity had considered asking Oliver if he'd like to join her for tonight just two days before. She told herself he wouldn't be interested but, she realized she liked being with him. She also realized she wanted to spend more time with him. Felicity laughed at herself for thinking Oliver would want to spend an evening with her as she also laughed at herself for talking to wind. "Oh God I'm a mess," she mused to herself as she placed a pile of dandelion roots on her lap. Her worn jeans and red flannel shirt were covered in dirt so it didn't bother her to add just a bit more. She then closed her eyes and held her open palms directly over the weeds. Once she felt centered she softly began to chant 

_ "Exaudi me in virtute elementa vocatio ... _

_ Ne ventus purga animam meam. _

_ Effluxisse meo forte sanguis et aqua. _

_ Fiat cor meum in ignem mutare. _

_ Sit corpus meum in terra mea ... alliges duplicia"  _

The trees near the edge of the meadow rustled when her words came to an abrupt stop. Felicity slowly opened her eyes and glanced towards the disturbance. She saw a shadow moving slowly towards her. Her hands tensed until she recognized the gray zip up hoodie…

"Oliver?" she called out with a bit more excitement then she should have. She also noticed that she was suddenly concerned about her appearance. She tried to make sure her face was free of any dirt smudges while she attempted to fix the messy bun she often had piled on top of her head. 

She was slightly taken aback when he called back with the same level of excitement, "Felicity?" 

"What are you doing out here?" She shouted as he came closer. 

"I like to go for runs at night," he called back. "It helps me clear my head," he added once he was close enough not to shout. 

Felicity gave him a lame thumbs up before she realized what she'd just done. She quickly put her hands back down and prayed he didn't notice her non-verbal response. 

Oliver walked through the tall grasses with his hands once again shoved in his pockets. "What in the world are you doing?" He asked once she had to nearly break her neck to look at him. 

Felicity smiled at his curious tone as she picked up the dandelion weeds and shoved them towards his crinkled, brow. He cocked his head with a strange look appearing upon his face. Felicity actually giggled before she remembered she shouldn't be giggling in front of Oliver Queen. "It's for my sister's dandelion tea," she gulped as she attempted to contain her momentary lapse of girlish judgement. 

"And you're speaking in Latin over a bunch of weeds because?" he commented as Felicity felt her cheeks beginning to flush. 

"It's a purification chant," Felicity babbled nervously. 

"May I?" He asked before he gestured that he wanted to sit with his chin. 

Felicity lamely patted the dirt covered ground as she said, "Umm sure…" She also prayed her face was mostly concealed by the darkness of the night. 

"So what exactly does this chant do?" he breathed once he was sitting beside her with his legs crossed. 

Felicity placed a pile of weeds in his lap. Oliver looked at her strangely which almost made her laugh. "The chant allows the Earth to remove any impurities from the plants like pesticides or even negative energy," Felicity explained as Oliver's mouth formed a small Oh…

Felicity shook her head. "So do you just understand Latin or can you speak it as well?" she asked as he settled in beside her. 

Oliver commented quickly as he slowly picked up the pile of weeds and held them in his open palms. "I understand a bit but that's because of my five minutes as a med student. Beyond that I'm afraid I'm a novice and you have a small bit of dirt on your left cheek," he commented as he began to lean forward. 

Felicity tried to clear the dirt from her skin before Oliver could touch her face. "Felicity let me…" he offered gently. 

"Are you sure you don't mind?" she asked so shyly it even surprised her as his thumb slowly grazed the skin of her left cheekbone. Felicity felt something within her spark to life with the fire of an active volcano right before it implodes into molten lava. She felt every line of his fingerprint as his thumb brushed against her skin. Felicity found that she nearly closed her eyes, she was so hypnotized by his touch. 

"Why would I mind?" he questioned softly as his thumb left her skin. 

Felicity mumbled, "I have no idea…" before she realized she sounded drunk. Before Oliver could respond Felicity added an awkward, "And by that I mean I don't know why you would mind but if you did you could certainly tell me." 

Oliver smiled at her clumsy words graciously. "Well I didn't mind getting to touch your beautiful face Felicity." She blushed rapidly which caused Oliver's smile to grow. "As far as I'm concerned touching your cheek was the highlight of my week," he added before he backed away grinning like an idiot. 

Felicity chuckled then immediately blushed. She cast a glance towards Oliver's face. "You're kinda sweet do you know that?" 

It was now Oliver's turn to blush as he murmured, "I kinda like that you noticed." 

Felicity sighed. He was flirting and she was flirting right back. "Well I've also noticed that you're pretending to be interested in what I'm doing in order to spend time with me," she offered just to see if her thoughts were true

"I'm not pretending, Felicity. I'm interested in everything you do," he told her as he glanced at the weeds in his hand. "Now let's get back to this little chant of yours shall we?" 

Felicity giggled again but this time she didn't try to hide it. "Sure but the question remains do you know what I said? 

Oliver cocked his head, "I'm sure I could figure it out," he boasted confidently. 

Felicity egged him on with an amused, "Okay then smarty-pants what was I saying in English?"

Oliver smirked. "You don't think I can do it do you?" 

Felicity shrugged, "Not particularly…" she admitted as Oliver slowly began to grin. 

"I think the first line is Power of the elements hear my call…" he at first whispered. 

Felicity gulped in shock, "Okay so I think you're a bit more than a novice..." she finally babbled once she got over her small moment of being impressed. 

Oliver shrugged it off with a nonchalant, "My mother had a thing for languages." 

Felicity rolled her eyes, "Of course she did." Oliver's blue eyes twinkled when he realized she was slightly annoyed. "You completely played me didn't you?" she accused him playfully. 

Oliver softly smiled. "Yes I did and I think the rest of the chant is...Let the wind purify my soul. Let the water cleanse my blood. Let the fire change my heart. Let the Earth bind my body to my home…right?" 

Felicity would've clapped had she been so inclined. "Okay now let's see if you can say the chant in Latin," Felicity sarcastically murmured. 

Oliver sarcastically replied, "Are you actually offering to teach me?" 

Felicity played with the idea for a few moments. "Do you really want to learn the chant?" 

Oliver seemed to take her question seriously. Felicity felt strange. Hating him was easy but getting along with him felt entirely natural. Like this was how they were supposed to be all along. "Would you be okay if I said yes?" 

Felicity felt her heart flutter in response to his genuine tone. "I think I would," she murmured as Oliver smiled and began to mimic her movements. 

Felicity realized that she'd just got what she wanted. She was spending an evening alone with Oliver. She had someone to share in the small moments and suddenly her heart felt like it was beginning to glow…

Before she could become lost in the small warmth of the moment she instructed him, "Now repeat after me…" 

* * *

  
Felicity walked through the front door of her two bedroom apartment carrying the purified plants. She placed the plants on her white granite kitchen counter-top. She then slipped off her tennis shoes and padded over her dark hardwood floors toward the worn leather sofa. 

Her apartment was a modest two bedroom home with dark hardwood floors throughout the 1,500 square foot space. The kitchen led to the family room and she'd opted to forgo a dining room so that was her office space. Her bedroom and the spare room were down the small hall. Each room had its own attached bathroom which came in handy when your sister was Sara Smoak. Felicity flipped down onto her back as she let her tired body seek comfort in something familiar. It was then that she heard the sound of running water coming from her guest bathroom. "Sara why are you in my apartment when you have your own two doors down?" Felicity called out once the water shut off. 

Sara emerged wearing a bathrobe and her fuzzy bunny slippers. Her blonde hair was piled up into a messy bun. Her pale skin was free of any enhancements as evidenced by the almost purple bags underneath her eyes. Sara was about an inch shorter than Felicity but they had almost the exact same build. Felicity saw her sister's tired blue eyes struggling to remain open as she yawned, "I didn't want to be alone." 

Felicity smiled sincerely. Sara was going through another break up with some boy whose name was already forgotten. She went through stages and right now she was in the I don't want to be alone with my thoughts stage. So she'd show up in her bathrobe and end up asleep on Felicity's sofa with the TV tuned to some rerun of an old sitcom. "You know he wasn't good enough for you," Felicity told her as she sat up and allowed Sara to sit beside her. 

Sara then placed her head on Felicity's shoulder while Felicity placed her cheek along the crown of her head. "Did you get my dandelion and ginger?" she asked in order to avoid the other comment. 

Felicity sighed, "I did and I actually had some help with the purification chant." 

"Hmmm really from who?" she yawned as she snuggled into her sister's side. 

Felicity sighed humorously, "Oliver of all people." 

Sara was almost asleep when she breathed, "Are you starting to not hate him?" 

Felicity knew she wouldn't hear her response so she chose to speak from her heart. "I'm starting to realize that I really care about him and it's honestly freaking me out…" 

* * *

Oliver was confused. After he left Felicity he wolfed out and ran through the forest for another hour before he returned home. His home was a simple one story two bedroom home on his family's estate. His father being the Mayor came with a few privileges. He walked through the darkened foyer and headed straight towards his bedroom. The house itself was modestly decorated with a few pictures of his family on the walls. The walls were dark gray and the floors were light gray hardwoods that his mother had chosen. His bedroom held a king sized bedroom with a black bedspread and two side tables. His closet made it so he didn't need a dresser so his bedroom was sparce. He flipped on the lights and removed his clothes before he walked into the dark bathroom. Knowing the floor plan as he did made it so he could navigate in the dark. He turned on the water and stood beneath the icy waterfall with his calloused palms running along his sweaty temples. 

He stood there for what felt like hours until the cold water had shifted into a lukewarm tidal wave. After that he stepped backward until his head hit the wall. "What the hell am I doing…" he shouted as his chin fell to his chest. "Why can't I stay away from her..." he muttered angrily as he stepped away from the wall and back into the lukewarm spray. As the water ran down his body in soft rivets he silently prayed for his need to have a relationship with Felicity to go away. He didn't know how much longer he could deny what he felt for her. 

After he noticed his fingers had begun to prune he quickly washed his hair. He then scrubbed the dirt from his skin until his wolf sense of smell couldn't find a particle of leftover dirt. 

Once he felt cleansed he shut off the water and grabbed a towel off the rack. He walked into his closet with a towel around his waist when he heard his brother's heartbeat at the front door. He quickly dressed and moved towards his modest living space. 

Tommy unlike his older brother was 6'0 and had jet black hair that framed his striking face perfectly. His deep brown eyes held most people's attention which meant he was never left feeling alone. He had a leaner frame and a cocky smile that made him look incredibly charming. He was also the only person who could get through to his brother. 

Tommy walked towards the back of the house and didn't stop until he was seated in the oversized leather club chair. Oliver handed him a cup of black coffee and took a seat on his sofa. 

Being a wolf meant excellent night vision, enhanced sense of smell and hearing along with increased strength and stamina. It's why he often walked around his home in the dark. He didn't need the lights to see. "So you went for a run I see," Tommy asked as he sipped his coffee. 

Oliver scowled as his head fell back along the edge of the sofa. "She's all I can think about now that she has to spend time with me," he muttered once his eyes were focused on the ceiling. 

Tommy placed his mug on the table beside his chair. "And this is making you crazy because?" he asked carefully. 

Oliver sighed loudly, "Because she's beautiful…" he took another breath. Tommy waited quietly for his next sentence. "God is she beautiful," he mumbled before he added, "which is becoming very distracting, she's also funny and incredibly smart with the most perfect eyes and…" his words fell short when he lifted his head and looked right into his brother's concerned stare. Oliver's blue eyes grew gray once he finally said, "I can still feel and hear her heartbeat like it's my own…" 

Tommy's concerned gaze became concerned words. "Oliver you can't...she's the next coven leader and I thought you hated her?" 

Oliver threw his hands up in the air, "I don't hate her I never did. Mom told me I had to hate her to stop the first stage of mating but now we have to be friends and I want her. God do I want her…" he slowly realized as his words died in this throat. 

"Oliver you can't pursue this," Tommy begged. "She's a witch Oliver. They don't mate for life like we do," he mumbled once he saw Oliver's eyes fall to the ground. 

Oliver's entire body seemed to fold in on itself as he murmured almost tragically, "I can feel her Tommy… it's like she's becoming apart of me and I don't want it to stop…" 

"Oliver what are you trying to say?" Tommy breathed fearfully. 

Oliver looked into his brother's worried eyes and sighed before he wearly replied, "I'm saying I think I'm falling in love with her because I think she's supposed to be my mate…"


	4. Unexpected Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity and Oliver's relationship begins to change after Oliver is forced to reveal himself to save Felicity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. I own nothing in relation to Arrow or it's characters.

**Chapter 4 : Unexpected Truth**

2 weeks passed and Oliver was growing concerned for his sanity. After the night in the meadow they made sure they saw each other daily. The routine was simple. Everyday during the week Oliver would come by after his class ended. Felicity would lock up and then they'd head for the park for lunch. Most days they sat side by side on a park bench and just watched the world go by. They talked about the past and events where they were competing just to impress the other. At night she'd call him or he would call her. They talked about their day's and what they wanted out of life. Weekends meant meeting in the meadow. Felicity taught him various chants and he would tell her what it was like to feel free. 

Growing up as rivals made it so they both already knew everything about the other down to how they each took their coffee. Oliver knew her like he knew himself and that hadn't been a problem until they were forced to get along…

And until he felt her heartbeat once again becoming one with his own. 

After that first night at the cemetery Oliver had been struggling. He spent his nights running through the woods in order to control himself in the daytime hours. 

He remembered another time when he was struggling. He was about 10 years old. His mother was finally at wits end. She had brought him into his father's office. She sat him down and placed an old book in his lap. She then asked him a very simple question. Oliver remembered how he'd reacted when she asked if he ever wanted to fall in love. He'd yelled "Nooooo!" before he flung the book to the floor and tried to get out of the chair. His mother Moria had restrained him easily with a light touch along his shoulders. He'd sat back and crossed his arms against his chest. Moira then picked up the discarded book and placed it back on his lap. She then opened the cover and told him to read the first page. 

Oliver rolled his eyes but did as he was told. Moria waited for his eyes to leave the page and return to her gaze. Oliver remembered how scared he looked when he said, "But you said that I was supposed to hate her? I told you that I heard Felicity's heartbeat and you said it was nothing! This book says she's supposed to be my mate! This doesn't make any sense!" 

His mother didn't say anything other than to stay away from Felicity. When he tried to argue she told him to keep his distance as she had when he told her about his first day of kindergarten. Oliver wanted to ask why she'd given him the book and why she gave him this information. He nearly begged he'd been so confused but all she said was, "Just remember this day sweetheart. Just remember that wolves mate for life my darling and witches do not…" 

Now as he ran through the darkened woods he understood why his mother had done what she did. She was trying to save her son from having a broken heart…

Unfortunately it wasn't enough. Oliver now knew that he had been slowly falling in love with Felicity since the day they met. He just fully realized that his hatred for Felicity wasn't hate at all and now he needed her to feel the same way. 

* * *

Felicity was exhausted and not just physically. The coffee shop was finally closed for the night. She'd removed the awful Halloween themed apron and placed it on the hook. Her red sweater and black jeans had specks of coffee all over. Her feet ached and her hair was piled into a messy bun. 

Sara had been running on fumes for weeks so Felicity insisted that she would close up the coffee shop so Sara could simply go to bed. She not only accepted her sister's help but she even sent her a text around 6pm saying thank you and goodnight. 

Felicity pulled the last few chairs up off the floors. She flipped them upside down and placed the seats on the table tops. She then went and retrieved the mop from the back room and quickly cleaned the floors. While she did her mind wandered back to Oliver Queen. 

For the past two weeks they'd seen each other every day. They talked about everything and sometimes nothing while they ate their respective lunches. Despite her initial reservations she'd begun to grow quite fond of Oliver Queen and she sensed that he was growing fond of her as well. 

Once the floors were clean she was able to shut off the lights and head for the front door. The wind brushed against her red coat like a warning. She ignored its gentle touch as her mind drifted back to Oliver. As she was pushing the last lock into place she heard what sounded like a muffled scream. She glanced around the empty streets. She saw nothing except for closed shops and a few leaves blowing along the sidewalks. The streetlights glowed as she walked down the street towards her car. She was passing the hardware shop when she heard another muffled scream. She searched for the source as she ventured back into the heart of town. The wind bristled around her again with a stronger warning as she came upon a dark alley. 

Felicity held her hands up when an intense feeling of fear began racing through her blood. She stepped carefully out of the glow of the streetlights and into the darkness that lay ahead. She chanted " _ dimittere eam," _ beneath her breath. A flash of white light flooded the dark alley. The woman who was being attacked managed to run away as Felicity sent her attacker straight into the nearby wall. 

His back hit the wall with a loud thud as Felicity began to move closer. Had she been paying more attention she would've realized that the attacker wasn't working alone…

She was suddenly grabbed from behind. Her body panicked instantly. For a few split seconds she was back in Cambridge and feeling helpless. Felicity however quickly regained her senses as she felt a pair of gloved hands closing around her mouth and neck. Wanting to fight she attempted to slam the heel of her foot into the gloved man's shin. 

"Careful man, she's not a human…" the injured one that she'd thrown into the wall muttered as he slowly began to stand. Wanting to gain the upper hand Felicity narrowed her eyes. The one she'd thrown into the wall was about 5'10 with a bulky build and stubby legs. His face was covered by a black ski mask but his eyes looked black, cold and dead. 

Her other assilant jerked her head back to expose her soft, white neck. He whispered against her cheek as his forceful grip moved down to hold her abdomen in place, "Don't struggle, it just pisses him off…" His breath stank of stale booze and peanuts. 

Felicity bit down on his thumb when his finger slipped along her open mouth. The men cursed but his grip didn't lessen. Felicity was about to slam the back of her head into his nose when the one she'd stunned began moving closer. She saw his fingers were coiled around a black handle. She struggled harder. She tried to use her body to push the one holding her to the ground but stopped when the man in front of her froze. 

The man who held her began to shiver. His pulse began to pound as a low growling sound permeated the cool autumn air. The man in front of her began backing away. Felicity could sense his fear as his hands began to shake. "Is that what I think it is?" her attacker breathed against her ear. 

The man before her nodded slowly as the knife in his hand fell with a clang to the ground. The growling grew louder. Felicity felt the hands on her body growing weaker as his fear increased. Remembering her self defense classes Felicity waited until the hand on her abdomen had begun to slip down to her hip before she slammed her elbow into his lower ribcage. 

The man who held her hollored in pain as the growling from behind ceased. Felicity reacted quickly once she realized why the growling had ceased. She slammed the back of her hand into the screaming man's nose as a large chestnut brown wolf lunged at the man who'd been holding the knife. Felicity shoved her attacker to the ground as her saving grace slammed the other man back into the slightly dented wall. Felicity screamed once she was certain both men were unconscious, "Oliver don't!" when she saw his massive white teeth were hovering over the bulky man's neck. 

The wolf froze. "Oliver please it's okay, you saved me, I'm safe," she pleaded as she began to back out of the alley. 

Oliver lifted his mouth away from the man's throat. Felicity felt her heart hammering away at her chest for the first time since the attack began. Oliver's amber colored eyes shot towards her heaving chest. Felicity immediately froze but it wasn't in fear…

Oliver's head slowly tilted to the side. Felicity's mouth fell slightly as she slowly took him in. His chestnut brown fur was thick but appeared to be softer than velvet. The top of his head would've easily come to her shoulders and was as wide as her shoulders to boot. His long legs balanced out the long length of his arched back. His paws were huge but strong. His breathing was smooth against his massive chest. Felicity noted that he must have been nearly 6 feet in length as his tail slowly moved back and forth against the pavement. Felicity took in every detail as her heart stammered. She was so taken with him that she noticed he had a few streaks of white around his face but; his eyes were incredible. They were magnetic… She could see a rim of blue around the breathtaking amber as she searched for Oliver's gaze within the wolf's. "My God you're beautiful," Felicity felt herself whisper as Oliver's eyes slowly slipped to the ground. "No, please don't hide from me…" she begged but his eyes remained fixed to the ground. 

Felicity was about to tell him that he didn't have to look away but Oliver was slowly beginning to retreat. Felicity suddenly remembered that they still had two men lying on the ground. She quickly pulled her phone out of her back pocket and called the police. As she was waiting for a response Oliver checked the other attacker. He sniffed at his silent body before he nudged his shoulder with the butt of his snout. Once he was satisfied that she was out of danger he took off towards the darkened woods. 

"Oliver wait!" Felicity called out just as her father answered the phone. 

"Felicity? Honey what's wrong?" she heard her father ask as her attention was drawn back to the two men in the alley way. 

"Dad?" She sputtered as she realized she needed to get to Oliver. 

"Felicity what's wrong?" Her father asked again as her attention moved back to the disappearing wolf. 

"Two men, unconscious, in an alley by the hardware store, come quick, got to go…" she babbled quickly before she hung up the phone and shouted, "Damn it Oliver wait!" as she took off towards the woods. She was approaching the meadow when she heard the police sirens blaring along the empty streets. Knowing her father would take care of the unknown men she ran faster towards the woods. 

* * *

She was about to call out for Oliver to stop running from her until she saw him standing half naked before her. He quickly slipped on what she assumed was his discarded shirt. Felicity ran towards him. "Why did you run away?" She asked once she could see the outline of his heaving shoulders against his black shirt. 

"I shouldn't have done that," he muttered in anger. "You never should've seen me like that," he growled angrily but she sensed it was at himself. 

"The hell you shouldn't have! You saved my damn life!" Felicity yelled as she stopped just inches from his tense back. 

"You weren't supposed to know that I could change at will," he muttered. 

"Oliver I don't care that you can change at will. All I care about is that when I told you to stop you did! You wanted to rip his throat out but you didn't because I asked you not too! You're not a monster Oliver! Not that I thought you ever were," she lectured him. "Now would you please just look at me?" 

Oliver sighed before he snapped back at her words. "You know nothing about this side of me Felicity. You have no idea what's running through my head or my heart," he warned her as he refused to turn around. 

"Oh screw you!" Felicity seethed. "I'm not some helpless woman that can't handle who you really are! I'm not Rebecca and I'm not running away so would you please just look at me!" 

Oliver's back muscles tensed when she said Rebecca. Felicity was taking a risk by bringing up a past relationship but she wasn't afraid to push him. She wasn't afraid to show him that he didn't have to be afraid of who he was. "You're right about one thing," Oliver growled darkly, "You're not Rebecca…" 

Felicity was about to screw the progress they'd made over the past two weeks and punch him squarely in the jaw if he ever deemed to turn around but then Oliver murmured, "She wouldn't have come after me..." 

Felicity gulped audibly. "Why not? If I loved someone I wouldn't just let them walk away from me…" 

Oliver's shoulders remained tense. Felicity was at a loss and then he stunned her by turning around. His eyes looked haunted but otherwise he appeared to be physically okay. Felicity scanned over his form quickly to double check until she was convinced he was okay. Oliver's haunted gaze slowly dragged along her skin carefully. Felicity saw his knuckles blanch when his open palms became fists. She was about to ask what was wrong but then she saw where his gaze was lingering. "Oliver it's just a bruise. I'll put some mugwart on it and it'll be good as new," Felicity babbled nervously as his brow furrowed intensely. "Oliver would you please say something?" Felicity almost begged as he inched closer. 

Felicity titled her head slightly as he slowly began to encroach on her personal space. She gulped nervously again as his eyes locked with hers. His hands remained fisted at his sides. His chest rose sharply as he stepped closer. Felicity's chest froze as she held her breath. Oliver's lips began inching closer. Felicity nearly closed her eyes as his lips came closer. She felt slightly disappointed when he very gently brushed his quivering lips against her brow. She felt his chest rising against her own as his lips lingered against her skin. "Oliver I promise I'm okay," she exhaled before she inhaled sharply. Until then her arms had been at her sides but she felt herself reaching for him as her elbows began to bend. 

Oliver must have sensed her slight movements as his lips left her skin. Felicity instantly dropped her slightly raised arms and gulped, "You didn't have to stop…" 

Oliver muttered almost shamefully, "Yes Felicity, I did." His gaze locked with hers as his chest brushed up against her own. 

Felicity felt anger rushing through her. He kissed her, he invaded her personal space and damn it if she didn't want him to continue invading her personal space. "Then why did you kiss me at all? Hell if you really want to feel shame you should actually kiss me and let me kiss you back!" she growled angrily with her own hands now fisted at her sides. "I mean seriously Oliver what do you want from me?" She ranted sadly as her anger began to ebb. 

"You can't give me what I want from you," he told her honestly with sadness rimming his eyes. 

Felicity tilted her head as she inched closer. She could feel the heat of his skin against her lips when she whispered, "Tell me what you want Oliver, just tell me…" with her lips almost against his throat. 

Oliver let out a distraught, "I can't and you shouldn't have come after me…" before he turned back around and once again ran away. 

Felicity screamed at his retreating form, "Would you stop running away from me you damn coward!" But Oliver didn't respond. 

Felicity kicked the ground with the tip of her boot. This was absurd. He saved her life or at least made it so she could save it herself. She saw him as a wolf and frankly was stunned. He left her breathless, confused, bewildered and even a bit beguiled. He then kissed her forehead with more tenderness than she'd ever experienced. Oliver clearly had feelings for her but what confused her was why he wouldn't accept that she had feelings for him as well. She glanced over her shoulder when she heard the sounds of engines. If she was smart she would do as Oliver asked and let him go but that's when Felicity decided that enough was enough. "Oh screw this…" she muttered before she took a deep breath and followed Oliver into the woods. 


	5. Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity and Oliver finally put their cards on the table and admit that they both want more than a fake friendship. Sara and Tommy also give their opinions on the matter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. I own nothing in relation to Arrow or it's characters.

**Chapter 5 Confessions**

Felicity muttered darkly as her boots snapped all the twigs left on the planet. Oliver just had to run through the part of the woods that was covered in thousands of fallen branches and leaves. "That asshole is going to buy me a new pair of boots after tonight…" she declared as she kept moving forward. 

She continued to trapse through the thick, overgrown trees until she saw a familiar back beginning to slow. She yelled towards his retreating form, "Oliver Jonas Queen! We aren't finished yet!" 

Ironically instead of running he just kept walking away. Felicity took that as a sign of progress as she continued after him. "Oliver come on...if you feel awkward about the forehead kiss then don't. It was a sweet gesture that I actually quite enjoyed," she called out after him. 

Still he didn't halt his forward motions. Finally feeling beyond fed up Felicity acted a bit impulsively. "Oh I'm going to regret this," she mumbled before she raised her palms towards the sky. She then used the same chant from the alley. The light expanded out from her palms and towards its intended target like a moth to a flame or like her to Oliver. Luckily for Oliver, Felicity was aiming for a tree that she hoped would split just above his thick skull. The light eluminated the stark night with an almost white light as it struck the tree limb just above his head. Felicity had to pray that the split bark would get his attention. The light cascaded around his form as the tree bark above his head split into thousands of particles that fell like snow upon his head. 

Felicity breathed rapidly in relief when he finally stopped. The relief didn't last long because seconds later the forest was alive with their raised voices. Felicity of course went first…

"Finally…" she muttered as she charged forward with her fisted palms raised. "You selfish, stupid, overgrown child!" Felicity ranted as she stomped straight into his chest. She pushed her fists against his shoulders. He barely budged but his eyes flared with anger. "You know I shouldn't be surprised! After all you're the same man who beat up Brett Collins because he made fun of me at the assembly when we were in the seventh grade! I go to thank you and what do you do? You freaking act like you didn't even know my name before you walked away!" 

Oliver's eyes grew wider as her ranting continued. But then again why should I be surprised? I mean you prevented some guy from mugging me in college, and now you saved me again tonight! You were the one who showed up out of nowhere both times. In college you at least held me until the police were done questioning me…"

Felicity stopped her rant for a split second but only to say, "Thank you by the way." 

Oliver spat back, "You're welcome," which angered her even more. 

She slammed her first against his upper arms again as she explored with verbal rage. "Oh no you don't… After that you would barely look at me for the next 8 years! But let's come back to tonight when you save me again just to take off because what? You were afraid of how I would react? What the hell is wrong with you?" Felicity shouted as she stood before him with her face mere inches from his. 

Oliver threw his hands up in the air before his palms came down along his cheeks. His fingers slid down to the sides of his neck as his eyes fell to the ground. "Why weren't you more careful!" he finally breathed in utter concern. "Do you realize what could've happened to you both times that you were attacked? Do you have any idea what both incidents did to me? Did you know that I didn't sleep soundly for months because I was afraid you'd need me? Do you have any idea how scared I was when I heard your heart beginning to race?" he asked as his voice grew louder. "Do you have any idea what you mean to me?" he finally shouted as Felicity's brow knitted. 

Felicity felt her fingers unfurl as his words slowly began to sink in. She raised her right hand with her index finger pointed towards the sky. She then took a deep breath as she attempted to organize her frantic thoughts. "Ummm back it up for just one damn minute," Felicity mumbled in shock. "You just said you heard my what now?" 

Oliver's face instantly fell into embarrassment as he realized what he unintentionally told her. "Felicity…" he begged more than warned. "Please leave this alone…" he pleaded as she slowly began to connect the dots. 

"Oh no not a chance Oliver, you said you could hear my heartbeat like it was a death sentence. Now tell me why that has you so messed up," she asserted almost coldy. 

Oliver was suddenly wishing for their unspoken distance rule. She closed her arms around her stomach as Oliver placed his palms against his hips. "Why did you have to follow me?" he asked more to himself than to her. 

Felicity muttered quietly, "Because I'm dumb enough to care about you, you freaking idiot…" 

She didn't hide her face but she looked alarmed that she'd said what she was thinking out loud. Oliver sighed as his eyes remained on the ground before him. "I'm messed up because hearing and feeling another's heartbeat like it's your own is the first step…" 

Felicity saw his shoulders slump when he paused. "Oh come on Oliver, it's not like…" she stopped when his eyes connected with hers and for once he didn't instantly look away. "Oh you've got to be kidding me…" she breathed when she realized why he was suddenly so affected by her mere presence. 

"This started again at the cemetery and it's gotten worse ever since that night," Oliver gulped. 

"What do you mean again?" 

Oliver looked like he'd shot himself in the foot. "I've been hearing and feeling your heartbeat on and off since I was six years old…" he mumbled shortly. Felicity was just about to start another fight when Oliver added very directly, "And no I'm not going into that now. I'll answer other questions but I won't answer that one…" 

Felicity's mouth slammed shut. Oliver seemed to be pleased with her response. Felicity's mouth then became bone dry when she attempted to ask another question. "So ummm you're saying that you're ummm…" Felicity suddenly couldn't find the right words. Oliver kept his eyes locked on her worried ones. She silently pleaded for the right words and Oliver gave them to her. 

"I won't force myself on you Felicity. It's not like that. When a wolf mates he or she has to have a partner that's willing to accept the lifelong bond. If your partner doesn't want to be mated then you have to pray that a broken heart can heal…" he admitted somewhat painfully as her entire soul began to ache. 

"So this heartbeat thing is the first step?" She asked very timidly. 

Oliver nodded as he crossed his arms against his chest. "Yes It's how we become attuned to the other person," he replied honestly. "It's also why I'm feeling very attracted to you…" 

Felicity felt her heart somersault in her chest. "Attracted like ummm you think I'm…" 

"Beautiful, desirable, adorable, and sexy as hell," Oliver interrupted with what seemed like endless words. Felicity looked like she could be pushed down by a single feather she was so stunned. Oliver swallowed the last of his pride when he said "I think you're an incredibly beautiful woman Felicity; but I'm also very aware of my growing sexual attraction." 

"Right…so ummm… you just said sex...and me...and I think I'm getting lightheaded..." she breathed rapidly as she felt her knees beginning to buckle. She saw Oliver's arms beginning to uncross as she slightly wobbled. "Don't you dare," she rasped. "If you touch me there is no way this won't end with you and I being very compromised…" she warned him as she shook her head and placed her fingers against her temples. 

"But Felicity you're about to faint," Oliver reminded her gently. 

"I'm fine…" she gulped as her head began to slowly clear. 

"Are you sure?" Oliver asked nervously like he was about to kiss her at the end of their first date. 

"Oliver if you touch me… I won't want you to stop touching me…" she muttered with the smallest twinge of repressed desire. 

"Felicity don't be stubborn," he begged as his arms left his chest and slowly moved towards her waist. Felicity didn't step back fast enough. He placed his palms against her waist. Felicity's eyes flew up to his as he kept her steady. She licked her lips as his eyes fell to her mouth. She felt her palms skimming up his arms until she felt his shoulders moving beneath her fingers. His pulse was racing along with her own. Their eratic breaths began to match as his lips parted. He was about to say something but this time Felicity was faster…

"Oh God help me," she muttered before she stood on the tips of her toes and leaned forward. Oliver's eyes grew wide seconds before their lips met. Felicity moved her fingers towards his jaw until she was able to cup his face with her palms. She shifted her lips softly against his mouth as his startled lips began to move against her own. She felt his fingers digging against her waist as she carefully pushed her tongue past his parted lips. Oliver responded by letting his tongue dance against her own as the kiss deepened. Felicity felt her head tilt as Oliver's chest brushed along her own. Oliver's hands then began to move up towards the middle of her back. Felicity felt his passion, his desire and his love with each kiss they shared. His tongue brushed along her's when she suddenly realized how badly he wanted her. It was at first a slight burning in her lower stomach. Then as their kisses grew longer and deeper she felt his need for her rushing through her veins. It was intoxicating. His desire swam through her until she felt how much he wanted her to want him back. Her lips shifted against his lower lip when she felt something strange beginning to flicker in her chest. He kissed her roughly as she skimmed her tongue along his upper lip. The flickering grew until it resembled a steady drum…

Oliver's mouth felt perfect against her own as she shifted her head and kissed him again. Her heart raced and so did the soft drumming within her chest. His palms slid back down to her lower back. She felt his left hand skirting against the curve of her buttock when she realized what the drum really was. She realized the drumming she felt wasn't a drum at all. 

It was Oliver's heart. Felicity was feeling his heart like it was her own… 

Felicity, not wanting to worry him pulled back slowly after their last kiss. Oliver thankfully let her. She gently pecked his lips then his cheeks before she kissed his lips one more time. Then she released his face and took a step back. Oliver's hands slipped from her back until they were back at his sides. 

"So, ummm yeah I think you understand where I stand now..." she gulped awkwardly as his eyes slowly met hers. 

"You kissed me?" He said like he was still in shock. "You kissed me and it wasn't one time…"he breathed rapidly. 

Felicity rolled her eyes. "Yes you idiot I kissed you and frankly I'm planning to do it again!" she growled in annoyance. "I plan on doing a lot more than just kissing with you," she murmured beneath her breath. 

Oliver's eyes narrowed, "Ummm thank you?" he offered with his words but his eyes told her he understood. He understood that she was confused but he wasn't sure why. He also seemed to understand that she stepped back because if she hadn't; nothing would've stopped either one of them from taking their tenuous relationship to the next very physical level. 

"So ummmm I guess you think I'm beautiful?" she asked at first to defuse the tension as her nose gently crinkled with curiosity. 

Oliver smiled at her attempt to change the topic of conversation. Oliver sighed happily, "Yes I do…" 

Wow you've gotten confident…" she breathed before she added a questioning, "but you really said I was beautiful and sexy didn't you?" 

Oliver nodded slowly. "Yes but if you'd rather I can pretend that I didn't." 

"No. No, no then I'd have to pretend I didn't just shove my tongue down your throat," she gulped. "No, I like that you see me in all those ways and I also like that you kissed me back," she admitted despite herself. 

"And is there anything else that you like when it comes to me?" he asked very coyly like he was sizing up her interest. 

"Oh I'm not falling for that," Felicity mumbled. "But I will tell you that your sexual attraction towards me isn't a one way street…" 

Oliver kept his distance but Felicity had already felt what he wanted from her. His gaze became heated as things between them became tense. "So what exactly are you trying to tell me with your words and the kiss?" he asked her directly. Felicity knew what he was hoping to hear. She had felt what he wanted to do with her and she not so secretly wanted it too…

Felicity licked her lips. Oliver's fingers stretched slightly as he fought the urge to move toward her. She was beginning to feel woozy again but this time she understood why. Finding she was willing to play his game she attempted to give him a vague reply. "I'm trying to tell you that I can feel how much you want me and it's mutual…" she murmured as she tried to keep her body deathly still. 

"Oh…" Oliver gasped as he loudly cleared his throat. "So that's why you ummm kissed me…" he rambled rather cutely. 

Felicity nodded before she let out a very nervous sounding, "Yeah well it was either that or I was opting to have us rolling around naked… " Felicity instantly stopped talking when she realized what she'd just verbally admitted. Her cheeks flushed as her palms flew up to hide her embarrassed face. "Oh dear god what just came out of my mouth?" she asked rehtorically. 

Oliver's eyes fell from her red face and down to examine his feet. "So ummm you want to…" Oliver gulped before he finally managed to utter, "you were talking about having sex with me right?" 

Felicity split her fingers and peaked out between the small space as she whispered, "God help me but yes I completely was…" 

Oliver let out a swift, "We really need to start talking about something else…" as Felicity eagerly nodded her head with unspoken agreement. "Like do you have any other questions?" Oliver suggested as he nervously rocked his feet back and forth over the hard ground. 

Felicity quickly thought of a question then rapidly said, "Well okay then so what about the umm…" 

"The Protective thing?" Oliver guessed as they both felt the tension in their lower bellies beginning to fade. 

"Yup that will definitely work," Felicity muttered. 

"It's actually part of the bonding process. If you became my mate you'd be my life and I intend to protect my life," Oliver asserted before he realized what he'd just admitted. 

Felicity tensed up but kept her mind focused on anything but Oliver being naked. She finally nodded very slowly as she mentally began to piece together what she'd just learned. "Okay so to recap you want to mate with me and apparently we both want to have sex and ironically its with each other correct?" she asked as lightly as she possibly could. 

Oliver let out a ragged breath. Felicity felt the fire growing inside his chest as he attempted to fight his feelings. "Yes…" he whispered. "Yes I want you to be my mate and yes I want to have sex with you," he unevenly admitted as Felicity's mouth once again slightly dropped. And with his admission all Felicity could focus on was her and Oliver doing something rather inappropriate on the forest floor. Attempting to hit the pause button on her rather erotic daydreams. She felt a small line of sweat beginning to sun down the line of her spine. Felicity felt her body tremble she began to mumble, "I think we should Ummm...you know before our ummm…" 

"I agree we should go our separate ways before our impulses take over," Oliver interjected rapidly when Felicity failed to form the right words. 

"Good. So umm I'll see you when I see you then?" Felicity knew her question was stupid but she didn't know what else to say. 

Oliver gave her soft, "Okay." He was turning to run toward his family home when he stopped. Felicity titled her head and cocked her brow as he asked, "Felicity you know what I feel for you isn't just about being physical," she saw him struggle with his words but then he finally asked her to tell him what she wanted. "I want to know if you might one day feel the same?" 

Felicity's heart flipped rapidly when she softly replied, "You don't need to hope for one day Oliver," she started without meaning to go further. But then she felt him. She felt his heart like he felt hers and she knew she would never be the same. "You don't need to hope because I feel the same," she exhaled in relief. 

With that Oliver turned and began to walk away. Felicity waited until she could no longer see him to say, "It has nothing to do with being physical because I'm in love with you…and once again I'm talking to no one," she muttered in irritation as she began the walk back to town. Had she waited just a moment longer she would've heard Oliver say…

"Good, because I'm in love with you…"

* * *

  
  


After Oliver poured his heart out Felicity needed to be very, very far away from him. Interestingly enough Oliver felt the same way. He took off towards his family estate but only after she'd made her way safely back to her car. 

Felicity had choices. Her father would be up because of the attack but she really didn't want to deal with any of that. Her mother...well she was always willing to talk but she wouldn't see any issue with Felicity having complicated feelings for a werewolf. That left only one person and she was supposed to sound asleep. Felicity glanced at the time. It was a little past 2am which meant Sara would be getting up in less than two hours to make sure she was at the coffee shop before 5. 

Feeling she had no one else who might possibly understand she headed to her apartment building that was about four blocks from the school. Sometimes living in a small town wasn't such a bad thing…

It took her about five minutes to find a parking space at the front of the five story building and another three to climb the stairs to the third floor. She walked straight past her door and instead went to her sister's. Sometimes living in the same building was a beautiful thing. She used her key to unlock the door and then immediately turned on the lights. She then shouted "Emergency!" at the top of her lungs. A few neighbors yelled for her to shut the hell up but the person she needed could be heard shrieking from behind her closed bedroom door. 

Felicity's apartment had the same floorplan as Sara's. The kitchen was right next to the front door with a fridge that led to a stove and a small counter area that had room for two stools. The floors were hardwood so Sara had tons of rugs placed throughout the room. Felicity fell on the sofa with a soft whoosh as Sara's bedroom door opened. Her hair was pointing in thousands of absurd directions as she walked toward Felicity with her eyes half closed. 

She kicked Felicity's foot until Felicity lifted her legs. Sara sat down and then Felicity lowered her legs onto her lap. Sara groaned, "Out with it," as she placed the back of her head against the sofa. 

"Oliver thinks that I'm his mate oh and I kissed him… and not just an innocent peck I mean I had my tongue down his throat kissed him," Felicity told her quickly with absolutely no sugar coating in sight. 

Sara's head shot up instantly. Her eyes widened and her words were far from tired. "WHAT?! You're telling me Oliver I hate Felicity Queen is trying to make you his mate?" Sara fumed as her entire body went rigid. 

Felicity sighed, "Relax Sara, he's not trying anything and remember I'm the one that kissed the living daylights out of him." 

Sara's mouth fell open in complete shock. "Felicity are you telling me that you're falling for Oliver?" she asked slowly to make sure her sister heard every single word. 

Felicity felt her words bubbling up without her consent. "Oh if only. No, I'm saying I'm head over heels in love with him and he apparently wants me...Like wants me, wants me...and I'm just so completely confused!" 

Sara smacked her leg lightly when she once again spoke. "What's to be confused about? He wants you and you're in love with him so just go for it!" 

Felicity groaned. "Sara that's not gonna happen." 

"Why not? He wants you and I know you've wanted him at least physically since high school so why not…" 

"I'm not sleeping with him Sara," Felicity insisted. "I'm genuinely and completely in love with him. He claims he feels the same but I mean given who and what we are how could he?" 

Sara scoffed instantly as she smacked Felicity's shins. "Why not? He's clearly attracted to you and again I know you've wanted to see him naked since high school so…" 

Felicity wanted to kick her but resisted because she wasn't wrong. "So minus the naked aspect you really think I should explore a romantic relationship with Oliver?" 

Sara squeeled, "Hell yes I do!" 

Felicity laughed but only slightly. "But how could I? I mean he mates for life and I'm not sure I can make that sort of commitment. I mean how can I explore what I feel without hurting him? she asked as Sara lightly drummed her fingers against her ankles. 

"How will you know unless you try?" Sara suggested. "I also think this is freaking you out because deep down you know that Oliver's the one for you…" Felicity was about to interject but Sara stopped her. "Think about it Felicity. He challenges you. He pushes you and inspires you to fight for a normal life. He makes you see yourself as more than a witch and it doesn't hurt that he's in love with you…" she added so softly that Felicity nearly missed it. 

"He doesn't love me Sara he just thinks he does because he wants to have sex, he couldn't really be in love with me…" Felicity reasoned softly. "He couldn't be…" she repeated because she knew what that would truly mean. 

"Well I think he does Felicity. He's connecting with you because he's fallen in love with you and now you need to deal with those feelings," she insisted as Felicity and Sara both fell very quiet. 

* * *

  
After he saw Felicity start her car he raced back through the woods until he could see his brother in the distance. Tommy met him halfway. His concerned eyes met Oliver's scared ones. "Oliver what the hell happened?" 

Oliver dropped to his knees. His entire body felt weak with exhaustion because he'd been trying to out run his feelings. Tommy kneeled before him with his hands on his knees. He looked over Oliver's slumped shoulders and deflated chest then gently asked, "Oliver what happened between you and Felicity?" 

Oliver's chest puffed out for a moment when he exhaled a sharp, "I pretty much told her I was in love with her…" 

Tommy sighed awkwardly, "Ummm isn't that usually something that you want to tell the person you want to be with?" 

Oliver shook his head. His eyes remained focused on the ground. He felt like his entire world was shifting and it all depended on Felicity… and that was something Oliver wasn't okay with. "I can't want her the way I do…" he began to sputter with anger in his tone. "I can't need her, I can't love her, I can't be involved with a woman that I'm supposed to hate…" he finally breathed. 

Tommy listened to his brother's words and slightly smiled when he finally stopped talking. "You're really crazy about this girl aren't you?" 

Oliver's entire body relaxed when he mumbled, "I'm completely in love with her. She kissed me and it wasn't just a peck on the cheek. She had her tongue down my throat and damnit I wanted more...oh and I heard her say she loved me back." 

"So did you tell her that you've been able to hear and feel her heartbeat since you were kids? Or did you tell her it was just recent?" Tommy questioned him softly. 

Oliver glanced up at his brother for the first time since he fell to his knees. "No I didn't tell her that I was basically ordered by my mother to hate her because at the age of six I thought I found my mate," he rambled sarcastically. 

"So you left out the important details of why you're suddenly feeling so strongly towards her then?" Tommy mused with humor dripping through his tone. 

Oliver chuckled in aggravation, "What the hell was I supposed to tell her? That I wish I could go back to the day I called her four eyes and say something kind? Or better yet should I tell her that being rivals with her was better than not knowing her at all?" 

Tommy shrugged as he shifted so he could let the blood flow through his tingling legs. "Why not? Oliver if she's your mate then eventually you're going to have to tell her the truth," he told him with humor still layering his voice. 

Oliver glared, "I'm so glad my disaster of a life is funny for you," he noted with more sarcasm than anger. 

Tommy couldn't help his amusement. He shrugged helplessly like he had no control. "Sorry Oliver, but it's funny! You're acting like she's not falling for you too! I mean what led to this conversation?" 

"She was being attacked…" Oliver mumbled. 

Tommy's amusement ceased in seconds. "And to protect her you became a wolf didn't you?" 

Oliver didn't answer, he just nodded. Tommy realized why Oliver was really upset. "She saw you and…" that's when Tommy's second revealtion hit. "But she didn't run away did she?" 

Oliver shook his head but not as an answer this time. "No she came after me because she cares about me…" he exhaled broodingly. "She then stood there as I told her what was going on and she still didn't run…" 

"You have to tell them Oliver. If Felicity decides that she wants to become your mate then they need to know," Tommy urged as gently as possible. 

Oliver"s eyes shot to the house in the distance. The lights along the lower level were lit. The upper stories were dark which meant his father had returned home. "I really hate it when you're right, he muttered as he began to stand. 

Tommy grinned, Well then you must hate me all the time…" 

With that the two brother's headed down the hill and towards their parents house.


	6. Family Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity both are told why they were kept apart as the families reveal their history.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. I own nothing in relation to Arrow or it's characters.

**Chapter 6: Family Conversations**

When Oliver was young the idea that one day the massive three story brick home that sat on over 40 acres of land would be his was daunting. The home was originally built in 1652 once James Queen decided that Taonga was going to become their home. After what happened with Duncan and Matthew, his brother the former pack Alpha things were tense. The witches were scared and the wolves were uneasy. Yet despite everything the truce held. The wolves would hunt every full moon as was tradition and the witches would hide in the shadows to monitor the hunt. Each side maintained a respectable distance from the other. It was an uneasy peace but it was better than a pointless war. 

At first the home was just four stone walls with a roof and a floor but overtime the structure grew. Each alpha wanted to create a safe space for their pack to live without fear of being caught, chased or killed. As Oliver stood inside the massive foyer which had been the size of the original house he wondered idly if Felicity would change the decor. Outside it was red brick with endless windows from every corner. The inside was dark reds and deep browns. Tommy patted his shoulder, "Hey Felicity can't be your anything until you talk to dad," he reminded him as Oliver nodded stiffly. 

He followed Tommy into the west palor room. It was filled with glowing lamps and the same darkened hues. The furniture all white created a stark contrast against the deep brown of the hardwood floors. Moira was already seated on the loveseat. She'd been asleep based on her lack of makeup and the undone state of her graying hair. His father stood by the massive fireplace with a glass of scotch held lightly in his left hand. Robert glanced warmly at his sons. His graying hair and fair complexion hid nothing as his heart was open and his intentions always clear. 

Oliver and Tommy stood in front of him with their heads slightly bowed. Robert chuckled at their formality. "Boys, unless one of you is here to announce your intention to marry I don't think we need the hand bowing and even then I wouldn't ask for it." 

Neither boy budged. Robert's humor however didn't deminish. "So Oliver you've decided to stop listening to your mother, I take it?" Robert chuckled which made even Moira smile. 

Oliver's eyes lifted from the floor slowly. Tommy followed suit. They kept their feet planted to the floor with their arms at their sides. Robert's smile never faded nor did the knowing twinkle in his light brown eyes. "How did you know?" Oliver finally mumbled once he felt that his father's words were genuine. 

Robert glanced at his wife. She first nodded in silent agreement. Robert seemed to consider her conflicted eyes. "I thought it would go away but he's too much like Lydia and she's too much like Duncan" Moira explained as Robert sighed. 

Robert glanced at his sons. Tommy by this point was looking up quizzically. His furrowed brows were nearly touching, he was so confused. Oliver was curious but attempting to mask what he was feeling. "Oliver are you certain that you love her?" He asked gravely with haunted eyes and a frown along his mouth. 

Oliver regarded his father's question carefully. His mother had told him to ignore what he felt. To simply choose hate over any other emotion. So he had but even when he thought he'd found love with Rebecca deep down he knew he would never make the bond. Once they'd both come home Oliver had simply resigned himself to a life without love. Felicity hated him and rightfully so. She was also a witch that would one day be the coven leader. He'd accepted all of it up until now…

She came after him tonight because she cared about him. He'd told her that he wanted her and she didn't run away. In that split second Oliver knew he had hope but after she kissed him he knew he'd never be the same. His chest rose evenly. His posture was calm. His voice was direct and his heart was certain when he finally said, "Yes." 

"Then we need to prepare you for what might happen," Robert told him warmly. "This won't be easy but if it's what you want then I'll give my consent," he added almost sadly as he looked to Moira. She nodded with a slight frown. 

Moira looked at Oliver but she knew her words couldn't repair the damage she'd caused. "Tommy sweetheart come with me. We need to discuss our Founder's Day plans." Before she stood Robert gently squeezed her hand as he smiled. Oliver remained standing. Tommy placed his hands in his pockets and followed his mother out the door. "Before we begin Oliver tell me what you remember about the mating process," Robert inquired once he and his eldest son were alone. 

Oliver felt uncomfortable but knew his father wouldn't relent until he complied. "It begins with the feeling and hearing of another's heartbeat. Once the beats align with your own then the first step is complete," Oliver awkwardly spoke as his cheeks began to flush. 

Robert's smile grew into a contained chuckle. "Oliver, stop being so embarrassed. Sex is part of making the bond but it's not the only aspect," he ribbed him gently as Oliver began to blush. 

Oliver cleared his throat uneasily, "Sorry talking about that with your father isn't comfortable…" he nearly choked which amused his father even further. 

"True but it's why you're standing here so please continue on to step two," his father suggested as he tried to contain his laughter. 

"Fine," Oliver grumbled like he had when he'd been a child. "The second step is acceptance of the bond by both individuals." Oliver took a beat, swallowed the lump in this throat and continued. "The acceptance of a bond is first done with the words, "I want and choose you as my mate." Then they begin to physically bond with a very chaste kiss to signify attraction and desire on both sides. Then once the family has consented the third step can begin…" he took another breath then added to his father delight, "Unless you're the next pack Alpha then your choice must be approved by the current Alpha before the second step can begin." 

"Well done now, what's the third step?" Robert asked seriously. 

Oliver mumbled beneath his breath, "The third step can't be fully completed because Felicity's not a wolf…" 

Robert sighed softly. "Are you certain about that?" 

Oliver almost angrily replied, "Yes I'm sure. I've only been falling in love with her for the past 22 years." 

Robert's head bowed slightly before his wise eyes fell back on his son. "Well then your mother did a better job than I thought… Oliver's brow furrowed but his lips didn't move. Robert caught his reaction and chuckled. "We'll get to that but first we need to discuss what happened between Duncan and Lydia," Robert mused like the idea was an afterthought. "Oliver you might want to take a seat," he told him knowingly. 

Oliver shook his head denying his request… Robert took his own advice and sarnon the couch his wife had vacated. He placed his now empty glass on the table and folded his hands in his lap. He gave Oliver a chance to take a seat but his son like him was stubborn. "Very well," he breathed before he once again spoke. "Duncan and Lydia fell in love when they were teenagers." 

Oliver's eyes narrowed but not in anger. "They what?" he barely whispered as he realized why his mother had told him to hate Felicity. She was truly trying to save him from heartbreak. Robert caught Oliver's other nonverbal response as his hands became fists. 

Robert looked into Oliver's sad eyes. "Lydia chose Duncan to be her mate and he accepted. She had her father's consent and Duncan even had his family's support. They were going to unify the families and make our town safe until Lydia realized that Duncan wouldn't complete the bond." 

Oliver heard everything but he focused on one word. "What do you mean wouldn't?" he asked with an almost shaken voice. 

Robert, despite his sadness for his son, smiled. "Duncan had a secret and bonding with Lydia would've exposed it," he explained carefully. 

"Dad what are you trying to say?" Oliver asked as soon as his lips closed. His voice almost sounded broken, he felt so lost. 

Robert's mouth fell into what could only be described as a grimace. "Duncan wasn't just a witch." He stopped and Oliver nearly screamed before he breathed. "Duncan was also a werewolf." 

Oliver remained quiet. For once he didn't know what to say because now he feared why he'd truly been kept away from Felicity.

Sensing his son wasn't going to speak Robert continued. "Well after that they parted ways. Duncan moved away and eventually married a witch. Lydia met Matthew who was willing to marry her and even willing to attempt the bonding ritual. The bonding appeared to work but then Lydia began to lose time. She would go missing for days only to show up covered in blood and not knowing why." 

Oliver interjected after his father said blood. "So what was wrong with her? Despite what the legends say we don't hunt people." His assertions still sounded broken because the picture was becoming quite clear. 

"She was bonded to both Matthew and to Duncan," Robert replied almost coldly. "Apparently Lydia and Duncan had been intimate before she asked for permission to bond with him," Robert further elaborated with a slightly irritated tone. "It's why we encourage chaste relationships until you're certain that you've found your mate. After that well it's not an issue," he muttered with a red tone to his cheeks. 

Oliver gulped, "So she basically went mad didn't she?" 

"Yes. We mate for life. And she'd unknowingly bonded herself to two wolves. She was essentially torn in two," Robert replied now sadly. "So when Duncan found her about to kill that little boy he ended her pain." 

"Then Duncan came to Matthew and told him what he was and what had happened to Lydia," Oliver suddenly realized what Duncan had done. "Duncan to keep the peace let the wolves kill him didn't he?" Oliver mused aloud. 

Robert sighed out a heavy, "Yes. He did it so the two sides would form the truce and keep the truth buried. After that our families decided that if something like this ever happened again we'd attempt to intervene." 

"So then why did you want me to stay away from Felicity? Duncan's werewolf genes would be inactive by this point unless..." Oliver started to ask before he realized what he really needed to understand. "Why did you really try to come between Felicity and me?" 

Robert's voice wavered but his eyes remained steady. "When I was a younger man I met a boy. He was both a warlock and a werewolf. He needed my guidance, my help, my protection and my word that I'd keep his secret. He was scared, untrained and unfortunately in love with a descendent from Duncan's line…" 

Oliver's heart began to plummet to the floor. "Dad it's not possible," he started arguing. "It's not…" he muttered, "it can't be…" 

Robert ended his words by finally giving his son the truth. "It's possible because that young man was Quentin Lance who took his wife's last name to keep his true identity a secret." 

Oliver gulped angrily as he finally sat down. His unfistef his palms as he rubbed his fingers against the sides of his face. He'd been lied to, betrayed and Felicity had also been hurt in the process. "You kept me from my soulmate," he started almost violently. "You tried to have me bond with another woman not once but twice with the second attempt nearly killing me," as his words continued his anger grew. "You made me think I was crazy for being in love with a witch and then you shove us together to do what exactly?" 

"To expose Sam," Robert breathed. Oliver was about to interject but his father silenced him with many words. "Felicity and you can unite the families but only if you both become leaders of your respective families. Sam however wants to destroy the werewolves but he doesn't want to destroy his family. Felicity being connected to you we thought might keep us safe from Sam. "

Oliver's slightly angered, "But why keep us apart? Why didn't you tell us the truth? We could've helped you and been together!" His chest up until that statement hadn't been heaving in anger but that moment had come and gone. 

Robert didn't miss a beat. Oliver might be the next pack Alpha but that wasn't today. "And if you hadn't bonded with her when you were six we would have but you did. After that Quentin, Donna, your mother and I agreed that the only way to keep everyone safe was to keep you both separated. If Sam ever realized that you and Felicity had begun to bond he would've killed us all. He's a purist Oliver. He believes that the world won't be safe until werewolves are extinct. We did what we did to protect the woman you love," he asserted confidently. 

Oliver's anger ebbed slightly. "So that's why I was able to sense her at such a young age wasn't it?" 

"Yes. It's why you both became rivals instead of lovers. We knew you heard her but we didn't know she'd heard you until we brought Rebecca here three years ago that she had unknowingly heard yours. When you got sick your mother went to the school in hopes that Felicity would overhear the conversation about your health. She guessed that Felicity would be concerned but she wouldn't know why. So when she showed up we knew that somehow you two had made it to phase two of the mating ritual." Robert smiled when he added, "And thankfully she re-established the bond but only the first two stages. After that we knew it was only a matter of time until your rivalry shifted into you two becoming lovers." 

"So that's why we joined the same clubs, went to the same college and even chose the same profession?" Oliver finally realized as his entire life began to make sense. 

Robert nodded. "Yes subconsciously you two wanted to be together so you both found a way." 

Oliver's chin fell to his chest. His heart began to race when he finally asked the one question he was afraid to hear the answer to. "Sam's behind the attacks isn't he? It was his men that attacked all those innocent people." 

"Yes…" Robert breathed. "But if you and Felicity can complete the bond by the night of the Founder's Day celebration then Felicity will be the coven leader and you my son will be by her side." 

Oliver whispered, "Do I have to train her completely or just enough so that the bond can be completed?" 

Robert gravely replied, "Just make sure the bond is sealed by Halloween."

Oliver glanced into his aged blue eyes. His warmth was always there but Oliver could now see his fear. "Dad what happens if I can't complete the bond with Felicity?" he asked very timidly. 

Robert's eyes fell to the floor. "Then we suspect Sam will have us killed during the hunt," he told him with his eyes still glued to the floor. 

* * *

While Oliver was back at home getting a history lesson Felicity was left to decide how she felt…

And how she felt was complicated because she'd fallen in love… and it just so happened she'd fallen for Oliver. 

Sara was always her go to person but Felicity knew what her advice would be. Sara would tell her to have sex and deal with the messy part later. Felicity didn't need that type of advice so she thought of her mother. Then she remembered that Donna would be thrilled enough to have her fitted for a bridal gown. That left her father and for once she thought he was the only right option. 

With her decision made Felicity grabbed her keys, her red jacket and proceeded to walk out the front door. Normally her father would be at the station or at home with a few case files on the coffee table. However this morning she knew he'd be investigating the crime scene from her almost mugging last night. Felicity again decided to walk instead of using her car. The air was crisp. The leaves were a variety of red and orange shades with a bit of yellow mixed in for good measure. 

The hardware store was up ahead. A few customers came and went as she passed the front steps and headed toward the alley. Quentin was bent over with a pen in his right hand. He appeared to be scraping something out of the grove of the pavement. Felicity took a few steps toward him and smiled brightly when he said, "So you finally tell that poor boy that you're in love with him or are you trying to decide if you really are?" 

Felicity shoved her hands in her pockets as she stepped forward. "No I've decided and no I haven't actually said the words to his face," she told him with a bit of hesitation. 

Quentin moved off the ground. He was about 6'2 with kind brown eyes and now a closely shaved head. He had a lean but strong build that made him seem unintimidating. He bagged the pen before he shoved it in his coat pocket. He then walked over to his daughter and pulled her into a tight hug. Felicity rubbed her cheek against his stiff coat as he hugged her tightly to his chest. "Sweetie you've been in love with that boy since grade school why don't you just tell him already," Quentin declared as he pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. 

"Dad people don't fall in love when they're six years old," Felicity mumbled against his chest. 

Quentin's soft chuckle warmed her cool skin. "Maybe but in your case I'd say it was possible." 

Felicity laughed despite herself. Quentin shifted so his arm was resting over her shoulders. Felicity shifted as well so her cheek was against his collarbone. "Be that as it may I shouldn't be in love with him Dad. I know I can't love a wolf but I can't stand the idea that I might hurt him because I do. Does that make any sense?" she finally asked as they slowly walked towards the sunlit street. 

"You're afraid of the bonding aspect aren't you?" 

Felicity nodded against his collarbone. "They mate for life Dad. I can decide it's not working and leave but he can't. Once he's made the bond there is no going back for him and that's heartbreaking," Felicity explained. "I just don't think I could ever put him through that. I wouldn't want to," she seemed to realize for perhaps the first time..

"And that's because you love him," Quentin told her plainly with none of the frills. "Face it kid, you're in love so why are you here with me instead of with him?" 

Felicity rubbed her cheek against his jacket lapel. "Because I can't be with him without being with him and I'm still not convinced I should let what's between us continue to evolve." she replied with conflicting tones. 

Quentin softly let out a very telling sigh. Felicity felt the vibrations of his words against her cheek as they slowly walked back to his SUV. "You and I both know that you've loved him for a lot longer than a mere two weeks Felicity," he began as she silently realized what he was about to say. "If you would've said this about three years ago then I might believe you but it's not three years ago Felicity," he ended very pointedly, "and despite what you claim we both know why you're really having a hard time telling him or yourself the truth," he added as they reached his car. 

Quentin opened his driver side door as Felicity slowly wrapped her arms around herself. "How did you find out?" Felicity finally whispered as Quentin climbed into the car. 

"Willing to come with me to the lab?" he offered which caused her to gently smile. 

Felicity walked around the front of the beige colored Sheriff's Jeep Cherokee and opened the passenger door. She then climbed in and swiftly shut the door. Once her seatbelt was on her father started the engine. They were halfway down main street when he began to speak. "As you know every Halloween we use the Founder's Day celebration to hide our annual tradition. The wolves were ready to begin the annual hunt and Sam had sent about 20 or so coven members to help us keep watch at all the premarked check points. Your mother and I were speaking with Robert and Moira to finalize the details of the annual run. I was making sure all the Queen's would be in attendance when Moira mentioned that Oliver was very sick," it was at that point that Quentin stopped talking and turned left. The lab was out by the cove and ironically near the Queen estate. 

The unmarked rode ran along the forest that was marked as a preserved site. This was done so the wolves could run without having to worry about humans seeing them from their living room windows. 

The Jeep bumped along the unpaved dirt as they both sat in a comfortable silence. Felicity gazed out along the endless trees for almost 5 minutes before she finally gained enough courage to speak. "Thea hadn't been showing up for class," she started with an almost hollow voice. "I was growing concerned so after my fifth period class ended I headed towards Principal Murphy's office. When I got to her door I heard Moira's voice. I stopped of course and started to walk away but then I heard her say that Oliver was sick." Felicity let out a hollow laugh. "I just thought the jerk had forgotten to get a flu shot. I mean I knew he'd been out but I didn't think it was anything serious." Felicity ruefully tapped her fingers along her knees as she slowly bumped the tips of her boots together. "I had started to walk away again but Moira's voice was filled with grief… " Felicity's voice dropped until she was nearly silent. "It was the type of grief that claws at your heart until it breaks," she whispered almost mournfully. "She said that he was gravely ill and that's why Thea hadn't been at school." 

Felicity's eyes left the window then slowly drifted to the floor. Quentin remained quiet but his presence felt warm and un-judgemental. "I went through the rest of the day feeling almost numb. Oliver, my Oliver was sick and by the sound of his mother's voice she was afraid he was going to die. I felt helpless. Oliver was my rival but he was mine. He'd been the one person who was always there to push and motivate me. He drove me crazy but the idea that he wouldn't be there was devastating," Felicity revealed quietly. 

They had a few more miles to go before they'd reach the gate. She could see the shoreline of the cove as they drove by. Felicity starred out at the blue almost gray water as the sun began to fade behind the growing cloud bank. Felicity glanced at her father's aging face as his eyes grew warm. 

Felicity watched the waves lapping softly against the rocky shore as she quietly began to speak once more. "I remember I was driving home when the idea came to me. When I originally found Duncan's journals it had been a fluke but still something deep inside my heart told me to read them. I of course stored them at the back of my closet after college and never really thought about them again. It wasn't until I replayed Moira's words in my head that I realized what might be wrong with Oliver." Felicity laughed mostly at herself as she continued. "Duncan as you know was obsessed with wolves and their mating bond. He actually postulated that if done incorrectly the mating bond could kill one or both parties by creating a flu like sickness within their bodies. Rebecca had been in town a few weeks prior and she left town almost hours after arriving. I remember because I spent a few days trying to figure out why she was here." 

That remark caused Quentin to smirk. Felicity playfully glared as she smacked his arm with the back of her hand. "Anyways once I remembered what Duncan wrote I realized why Oliver was sick. So I ransacked my closet to find the right journal and once I did I found what Duncan thought would be a cure for the illness." 

Quentin sighed, "And that's why you didn't show up for your assigned post as I recall…" 

Felicity nodded smalley, "I waited until everyone was gone before I snuck out to my car." 

Quentin lightly cleared his throat, "I know. I was the one that saw you leave." 

Felicity smirked but continued with her story anyways. "I drove up the old back road that leads straight to Oliver's home at the back of the estate. The home was dark of course and there was no one in sight. So I carefully opened my car door, shut it quietly and made a beeline for the door. I knew it wouldn't be locked so I called out Oliver's name as I twisted the knob. I heard nothing so I crept inside and used my phone as a flashlight. The home looked unlived in it was so sparce. After a few minutes I managed to find his bedroom at the end of a long hall when I heard him mumbling something softly in his sleep. Not wanting to waste any time I dug out the journal and began to chant. I was only two words in when I felt Oliver's fingers grazing my left knee. I tried to back up so he wouldn't know I was there but it was too late. He started mumbling, "Please don't leave me…" so I thought he was dreaming. Then he mumbled, "Felicity, please don't leave me…" 

Felicity stopped and took a breath. As the sun continued to dip between the passing clouds Felicity continued to tell her story. "After that I sat down on the edge of the bed. His eyes were closed and his body was covered in sweat. I honestly couldn't tell if he knew I was there or not. He kept shifting back and forth like he was caught in a nightmare. His fingers kept clawing along the comforter like he was searching for something so I eventually took his hand. His palm felt like it was an open flame as I laced my fingers through his. He started mumbling, "No, no, don't leave me, don't…" like it was a chant. His fingers tightened against my own as his nightmare grew worse. I tried to start the chant but it only seemed to make things worse. I eventually just decided to sit there with his hand in mine."

Coming back out of the memory Felicity glanced over at her father. His eyes were focused on the old road as cautiously naviagated his way up the small hill that led towards the lab. She wondered for a moment if he was even listening but decided to push on since her story was nearly over. Her tone for most of the tale had been even like she was reflecting on a lost memory instead of recalling what she hoped had remained a lost secret. As she grew closer to the end the emotion in voice began to waver…

"I sat there for maybe another 30 minutes while he tossed and turned. His mumbling wasn't as bad once I held his hand. He actually seemed to be getting better so I attempted to slowly detach my hand from his. I had maybe two fingers free when he started mumbling, "Felicity please, please don't leave me, please just stay," so that's when I finally started taking back. I didn't know if it was a dream or not but Dad he sounded so broken that it actually made my heart hurt. I rejoined our hands and slowly shifted closer until my free hand was against his brow. Again he felt like his skin was an open flame. I gently brushed the tips of my fingers along the left side of his face and whispered, "It's okay Oliver, I'm here. I'm right here okay? You don't have to be afraid because I'm right here." He immediately became calm which freaked me out but I stayed. I just kept brushing my fingers along his face until he mumbled, "I love you...I'm only ever going to love you…"

It was at that point that Felicity came out of the memory and back to the car. Quentin by then had reached the lab. He pulled into the spot designated for the Sheriff. He then shifted in his seat so he could look directly at her. "Dad, if I tell you something will you promise to be truthful?" she gulped uncomfortably as it all began to make sense. 

With his brown eyes he conveyed his answer before he whispered, "Of course." 

Felicity felt her skin beginning to itch she was so embarrassed by what she was about to say. She finally hid her face in palms just so she could spit out her question. Quentin chuckled but he remained silent. "Well last night I kissed Oliver and when I did I ummm well, oh God this is mortifying but I sorta think his heartbeat matched up with my own," she stated very shakely with a single breath. 

Quentin gave her an interesting look because she didn't know why he didn't seem surprised. He seemed to be smiling at what happened. "And why so you think that is?" He asked her with a testing tone. 

Felicity looked at him strangely. He had one wrist over the steering wheel. His body was shifted toward her and his eyes looked almost happy. "Well Oliver told me it's the first step in the mating process for werewolves but I'm not a wolf I'm a witch," she replied awkwardly. 

Quentin agreed but he also asked another leading question. "And this happened before or after you kissed him?" 

Felicity wanted to die she felt so embarrassed. "It was during and it wasn't exactly one little kiss," she gulped audibly. "It was more like several…" 

"So basically you were making out with the boy were you?" He asked her with a full laugh. 

Felicity groaned, "Yes, that's basically what I was doing." 

Quentin's eyes crinkled at the sides as his smile grew, "Then you tell me what you think happened because I already know," he told her very clearly. 

She went through the night before and joined it with the night from three years ago. She slowly began to see the bigger picture beginning to form. "They tried to bond him to Rebecca," she gasped as it all finally made perfect sense. "He got sick because he couldn't make the bond but…" 

Quentin didn't make her say the rest. He said it for her. "He couldn't bond with Rebecca because he'd already decided he loved you. He got better because he was able to re-establish the bond he'd already started with you Felicity." Felicity's mouth fell. Quentin just chuckled lightly. "Yes Felicity just by holding his hand and staying when he asked you to, you managed to save Oliver's life." 

"But we didn't do anything I mean…" she sounded almost panicked when she breathed, "That's not possible…" 

Quentin chuckled again. "Oh honey, if you'd just stop trying to rationalize everything you'd know why it is." 

Felicity looked at him with tears brimming in her eyes. She'd read Duncan's journals. She knew why Lydia died and she knew why he'd wouldn't complete the bonding ritual. Duncan's father was a werewolf and his mother was a witch. He knew what the coven would do if they ever found out about him and those like him. He knew so he died to protect his children and the ones that would come after. He died to protect the wolves as well. He was a child of both worlds and he wouldn't be the reason that one side died. 

Felicity knew all of that but she knew it had to be more than that. Duncan's genes would be inactive by this point which meant…

"Dad it can't be," she whispered slowly. "You can't be because then that means so am I…" 

Quentin unclasped his hands to hold her shaking palms. "Sweetie I'm a child of both worlds," he breathed as Felicity whispered…

"And now I have to accept that so am I…" 


	7. Complicated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity decide what they want now that the reason for their separation has been revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. I own nothing in relation to Arrow or it's characters.

**Chapter 7: Complicated**

Felicity often kept a level head. She wasn't one to get easily excited but that wasn't how she chose to react today…

After she finished weeping Felicity's more panicked reaction began. Felicity first waved her hands frantically through the air while her mouth opened and closed with nothing being said. Then the words came and boy did they come…

"You're really a, and that means I'm really a, and wait does mom know? Of course she knows and Sara does she know? No she can't keep a secret, but then why can't we, but why don't you, and what if we could, or should we, or shouldn't we and…"

Quentin let Felicity work out her questions through her endless dialogue. He just sat there calmly with his hands joined over his lap. He almost looked like he was in a recliner instead of the driver side of his Jeep. He knew if he interrupted her flow it would simply slow down her progress. "So wait a minute who was the wolf?" Felicity finally asked once she managed to babble her way through her half asked questions. Her hands also finally fell over her knees. 

Quentin replied with a laugh, "My mother was a wolf. She decided when I was five to have me learn about both worlds," he told her before she could ask her next question. 

"Right so…" Felicity stopped. She wasn't sure if she wanted to ask her next few questions. Hell wasn't even sure if she could. 

Quentin however wasn't letting her back out now. "Peanut you have to see this through," he told her encouragingly. 

Felicity took a deep breath, nodded and exhaled before she said, "Okay then question one can you "wolf" out?" 

"Yes, but I haven't since I was a teenager," Quentin replied evenly. 

Felicity wanted to dig into that answer but she also really wanted to see Oliver so she opted to stick to the basics. "Ummm I have more questions about your answer but I can always ask them later right?" 

Quentin sighed knowingly as only a father could. "Yes I can still become a wolf but I'm more comfortable with being a warlock. I always was so when I met your mother I decided to shelf the part of me that was a wolf." 

"So does that mean that I can become a wolf too?" Felicity asked with the smallest voice her father had ever heard. Her fingers squeezed along her kneecaps nervously while she waited for his reply. 

Quentin's chest rose as he once again sighed. "Yes peanut I suspect you could but only if you found someone who could and would be willing to teach you." 

Felicity exhaled slowly. "So that means I can complete the bond with Oliver doesn't it?" 

"So you know about the bonding process I see?" Quentin probed very gently. 

Felicity shrugged, "I might have spent some time going through Duncan's journals last night…" 

"So does that mean you've decided what you want?" Quentin asked even though he already knew the answer.

Felicity nodded firmly. "Yes, and what I want is Oliver." 

* * *

  
He felt nervous. Yeah the emotion was definitely nervous or was it trepidation or maybe even just basic fear? Hell he wasn't sure what he felt or if he could even articulate what his emotions were doing to him. 

Duncan and Lydia were lovers that bonded. They weren't just some cautionary tale they were a lesson that came at a gruesome cost. 

Felicity…. well she was beautiful, captivating, honest, kind, funny, intelligent, challenging, stubborn, quick witted, temperamental and well for him absolutely perfect. 

She was his heart and now he finally understood why. Felicity was a werewolf and a witch. She was part of his world but the question of whether or not she wanted to be remained; along with the question of if she still wanted him. 

After he left his father Oliver took off for the forest. He ran in circles for what felt like days as he attempted to sort through his jumbled feelings. He needed to feel the night air as he raced along the paths that he could see blindfolded. He needed to focus on the sound of his heart as it sped rapidly against his chest. Sam would be in Taonga in less than two weeks. His plan must have been to use the anointing of a new coven leader as a reason to call the truce into question. The random attacks would be his proof that the Queen family couldn't be trusted. He'd then call for a vote. Felicity being the leader of the coven would have to allow it unless she could refute his claim. That's why his parents and Felicity's parents wanted them to get close. They assumed that she'd protect him but what Oliver couldn't fathom is why they didn't just tell them the truth? 

His father said they lied to protect Felicity. He understood that but, that reason was made null and void when they made them meet in the cemetery. At that point they should've told them but they didn't and Oliver felt betrayed until…he realized why they'd truly kept quiet. 

Felicity… she was the reason. Robert had been truthful about that. But he hadn't been honest about their true motivates. Felicity wasn't born knowing the truth of her birth. She was only given a section of the puzzle. She was led into one world while the other was left to disintegrate. Oliver knew the second he saw her that she was going to mean something to him. He didn't have to understand it or even justify it. He just knew but Felicity didn't. Oliver had made his choice of his own freewill. They assumed that if Felicity knew the truth then she would feel obligated or maybe even forced into being with him. They wanted her to make her own choice without any of the tangled history. They wanted her choice to be about love rather than something one sided. 

After that Oliver ended his run by turning around and returning home. He still needed time to think but he also knew he needed Felicity…

Which was why he was sitting on his sofa with his phone lying on the coffee table before him. Seeing her in person wasn't an option. If he saw her their relationship would become very physical very quickly. After all Oliver had been falling in love for over twenty years. He was more than ready to take the next step but he had to be certain that she was just as ready and more importantly willing to move forward. So that's when he decided to give her a call… but then he realized that he'd have to tell her and that caused his stomach to knot. He wasn't sure how to start that conversation and more importantly he wasn't sure if he even should. It wasn't his story to tell not his secret to reveal. He felt conflicted and ultimately torn when he finally picked up the damn phone. He then debated what he should say. Should he just be blunt? Or maybe he should be gentle and reassuring? Or maybe he should say nothing and just forget the whole damn thing? He honestly didn't know what to do as he pulled up her number and pressed send…

The phone barely got past the first ring before he heard her beautiful voice saying, "Hey…" 

Oliver's heart was in his throat. She didn't sound stressed or even regretful. She sounded… oh God she sounded like she was happy and it was just because he called…

Oliver's, "Hey back…" sounded guilty and of course Felicity instantly picked up on that. 

"Relax Oliver, I know about my dad and about Duncan and Lydia…" she reassured him rather quickly. "So just stop feeling guilty for not knowing what to say okay? It's not your fault, we both were lied to and just so you know it changes nothing." 

Oliver gulped. He felt a small line of sweat building along his brow when he finally muttered, "seriously?" 

Felicity must have sighed because she sounded almost annoyed when she replied, "Oliver you do recall that I kissed you right?" 

"Yes…" he gulped slightly.

"Then you also might recall that I want to have sex with you?" 

Oliver's stomach flipped. She'd said want, not wanted. The sweat along his brow trickled down to his jawbone when he mumbled, "Yes, I recall that too…" 

Her voice lightened slightly when she exhaled against the receiver, "So do you think you can accept that I want to be with you? It's not about anything other than how I feel about you. All the other stuff doesn't matter because in the end I want you…" 

Oliver smiled as he finally took his first easy breath in over 24 hours. "Sorry it's just hard to wrap my head around," he told her with a small laugh. 

Felicity must have smiled because she sounded relaxed when she said, "I know and I'm sorry I was so short with you it's just I'm so irritated at our parents for what they did to you." 

Oliver relaxed into the sofa by resting the back of his head against the headrest. He then put his feet on the coffee table before he placed the phone on his lap with the speaker on. "Hey they lied to both of us not just me," he remarked as he placed his palms behind his head. 

Felicity sounded shuffled so she must have been adjusting on whatever surface she was lying on. "Yeah, but I was clueless and you weren't. They could've told you something other than hate her and it will go away," Felicity sighed once she was done moving around. 

Oliver nodded in agreement but his words offered a different viewpoint. "True but they wanted you to feel like you had a choice in who you ended up with." 

Felicity seemed to understand but Oliver could tell there was something that she wasn't telling him. "I know but I still feel like they denied us the chance to be what we should've been from the start," she insisted with a tone that told him his inkling was right. 

Wanting to move past a topic that would require being in the same room Oliver veered down a different path."Well that's in the past and what lies ahead is far from a distant memory," he suggested a bit uneasily. 

"Oh yeah that whole bonding and mating for life thingy that I can now apparently do…" she exhaled a bit uncomfortably. 

Oliver smiled. He knew she wasn't uneasy about being with him she was uneasy about it being for life. Felicity might be a werewolf but she was also still a witch and that part of her wasn't going to just fade away. If Oliver was being honest one of the reasons he'd fallen in love with her was her independent nature. She didn't need to be saved; she was the one doing the saving. However it was that nature that would make training her slightly more challenging. She wasn't going to just accept because I said so or because it's tradition. She would require facts and most importantly choices. Keeping that in mind Oliver continued to tread lightly into their new relationship. "Felicity, before we become anything I have to know…" he sighed as his eyes fell shut. He wasn't sure if he was ready to hear what her answer might be but he couldn't move forward if he didn't ask. "Are you sure that you want to learn to become a werewolf?" 

Felicity's tongue clicked but not angrily. She was apparently shocked by his question and part of him felt strangely elated. "Well if I don't then it's a sure bet that Sam's going to use my anointing ceremony to kill you and your family right?" 

Oliver's grimace was reflected in his tone. She couldn't see his face that reflected pain, anguish and fear. But he knew she didn't have to. "Yes. If we don't become a bonded couple then Sam will hunt my family down." 

"Right….and that's not something I want," she seemed to be saying to herself as she worked through her thoughts. Oliver remained quiet. He wasn't sure what she was going to say. He also wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear her words if they weren’t positive in his regard. Felicity finally focused her musings back to him when she said, “Before I give you my answer I have to know one more thing," she breathed before she fell deathly quiet. 

Oliver nodded as he mumbled, "Anything…" 

Felicity must have smiled at the sentiment because her tone didn't sound defeated when she murmured, "Do you think those men who attacked me in the alley were working with Sam to frame your family?" 

Oliver felt an immense sense of overwhelmingly pride. His Felicity was fearless and his Felicity protected innocents. "Yes I suspect they are," Oliver replied with pride etched in his voice. 

"Well then I recommend we plan on how we're going to become bonded by Halloween," she suggested with complete confidence. 

Oliver's chest deflated in relief. "So you’re completely on board with becoming a wolf?" 

Felicity's teasing tone made Oliver wish he could see her beautiful smile. "Well I’m fairly certain I am but you could always come over and give me the chance to get some hands on experience..." 

Oliver snickered inwardly. He knew dating Felicity wouldn't be boring but her emotional 180 still gave him pause. Just a mere two weeks ago she wouldn't speak to him but now… well now she wanted to do anything but talk and Oliver wanted to know why. He knew she was holding something back. The way her feelings developed felt rushed. Felicity was hiding something and Oliver realized that he could only get the answers if he pushed the right buttons. "Well I'd love to see you but, you need to be certain about the next step," Oliver told her with the intention of goading her. Being her rival meant he knew everything about her. Including how to elicit certain answers. 

Felicity's smile grew into a knowing smirk. "Oh you're up to something Oliver Queen and I promise I will figure it out," Felicity told him effortlessly. 

Oliver laughed, "Good, because I'm looking for answers as well…" 

Felicity knew he was playing a game and she didn't seem to care. She seemed eager to engage which made him wonder if she knew just how close they were about to get. "So then ask a question and see what I say," Felicity giggled with complete confidence. 

"Okay, let's start with a hard question shall we?" Oliver suggested very lightly. 

Felicity must have been smiling because her voice sounded like a sunrise. "Ask away…" 

Oliver considered his choice of questions. He could've gone for an easy one but given how physical they both wanted to become he opted for the harder one instead. "Once the second step of the mating process has been completed most couples go through a few weeks of what we call intimacy training. We explore the boundaries of our mate by baring our bodies and our souls to the other. We explore each other completely but do you know what we don't do until we've completed our first run?" His voice sounded calm but his insides were twisted tightly into thousands of knots. 

Felicity didn't miss a single beat which made him wonder how much she already knew. She sounded almost proud when she announced the answer like it was found in a textbook. "Sex. They don't have sex until after the first run although I’m fairly certain oher variations are done during the intimacy training." 

Oliver smiled. He suddenly knew that being with Felicity was going to be so much more than he'd ever hoped for. 

* * *

Two days…

It had been two days since her father decided to tell her that he was a werewolf which meant so was she. 

After talking to her father the first thing she wanted to do was find Oliver. Hell she was within miles of his house but father knows best decided that she should take a couple of days to think things through. This of course was suggested right after she declared that she wanted Oliver. 

After that Quentin drove her home. Three hours later Sara came home and two hours after that Donna showed up with four bottles of wine and about two pounds of chocolate. All three women spent the next few hours going over their very sorted family history. 

Her father had been honest… well mostly. His mother was a werewolf. Her pack was destroyed by a coven of witches when he was about five years old. The only reason she and Quentin survived was because his father Trenton was the leader of the coven that destroyed his mother's family. After that Quentin was taught to hide his other half by learning how to become a witch. 

Sara had multiple questions after that but she was having a hard time speaking… wine was funny like that. Donna instead gave them the reader's digest version. Their father left home at 17 to figure out whether he wanted to be a wolf or a warlock. He met Donna when she was passing through Salem on her way to some convention with her older brother Sam. 

Donna and Quentin hit it off immediately. They spent three days holed up in her hotel room while Sam attended to "family" business. Quentin told her his sad story and Donna told him about her hometown and the wolf pack that lived in the area. 

It took some convincing but Donna who was the next coven leader managed to talk Sam into inviting Quentin to join the coven. Sam got him a job, a place to live and even suggested that he might make a good partner for his younger sister. Quentin of course accepted his offerings because it was the only way he'd ever meet Robert Queen. 

At this point both girls told Donna to move the story forward. She frowned of course but after she poured the third bottle of wine into their glasses she decided that glossing over their courtship wouldn't be the worst idea. Robert taught Quentin how to control his wolf and about the town's rather unique history. Donna skipped over the details of their friendship and instead started to talk about Oliver and Felicity. 

The plan after Oliver heard Felicity's heartbeat was to keep them separated. They didn't know if Felicity had heard Oliver's heart so they took their chances. Neither family wanted the truth about Quentin exposed to Sam and the rest of the coven. 

Felicity never caused an issue. She was a witch and next in line to lead the coven but Oliver knew the truth. He knew what Felicity meant to him. He also knew after she was nearly mugged in college that he'd only ever willing mate with her. Donna wanted Felicity to know the truth. She wanted her and Oliver to be together. It was the other three parents who disagreed. They almost told Felicity the truth after Oliver almost died but they decided against it after Sam came home for a surprise visit. After that all four agreed that until Felicity was the coven leader they'd keep Quentin's secret. 

Felicity rubbed her temples gingerly as she replayed the events of the last two days. They kept her in the dark. They kept her away from potentially her soulmate and they put him through hell just to keep her father's secret. After her mother left and Sara had passed out in "her" bedroom Felicity debated whether she should call Oliver or not. It had been a day since she'd been told the truth and despite what her father wanted Felicity missed Oliver. She missed talking to him and simply sitting beside him on a simple park bench. She was shaken out of her thoughts when her phone vibrated against the counter. She had almost run to it she'd been so eager to see if it was him. Felicity felt a smile creeping along her face when she recalled their conversation. After they had the so you're a werewolf reveal they talked about her feelings of anger. Oliver had been perfect. He was patient and accepting but he was also digging. Felicity knew she would eventually have to tell him the truth. She knew he didn't understand how she could be in love with him after only two weeks. She also knew that once she told him the truth she'd have to admit another truth…

This truth was one that not even she was ready to acknowledge but if she didn't the man she loved would most certainly die. With those thoughts in mind she reluctantly agreed before they hung up. That was now almost 24 hours ago.

She was seated at her desk. Her hair was up as always, she had on her signature red yoga pants with the matching red hoodie. Her black slippers were on the floor beside the chair as she twirled a pencil absentmindedly between her thumb and index finger. 

Felicity softly sighed. The weather had just begun to turn. The once bright, crisp autumn days were now cold, cloudy and often filled with an endless rain. Her tv made a crackling noise. She glanced at the fake fire as her apartment began to fill with the side sounds of some instrumental ballad. The preparations for Founder's Day were nearly complete. The floats were set, the committees had been formed and the volunteers had been picked. Sam would be in town on Halloween with the rest of the coven. Once the townspeople were distracted by the annual fair Sam would call the coven together. Then he would announce that Felicity was finally ready to become the next coven leader. 

Felicity also suspected that's when he was going to have Oliver and have his family killed. She dropped the pencil onto a stack of graded essays. She then reached for her glass of half consumed Chardonnay. With the stem between her fingers she took a slow sip. She let the grapes burst against her tongue as the liquid burned all the way down to her stomach. She was about to venture towards her bedroom to start a well deserved bubble bath when she heard a soft knock at her front door. She glanced at the clock on her desk. It was quarter past 10. "I'll be right there," Felicity called out as she slipped on her slippers and stood up. 

She knew it wasn't Sara because she had a key. Her mother almost never knocked and her father always called before he showed up. She honestly thought it was her downstairs neighbor knocking to ask for a cup of sugar. She was a baker who often tested out recipes late at night. Felicity gently rubbed the nape of her neck as she removed the double locks and twisted the knob. She was about to ask how much sugar she needed to borrow but was stopped cold when she heard a soft…

"Hey…" 

Felicity immediately wished she wasn't in her sweats. "Hey back," she gulped as Oliver's soft eyes gazed longingly into hers. 

"Did I interrupt anything?" he asked as he slowly tapped his fingers against his outer hips. 

Felicity let out an amused, "No, I'm alone why would you like to come in?" 

Oliver sighed in relief, "I would and I'm glad that you're still teasing me," he told her as Felicity laughed. 

"Oh Oliver just because I admitted that I wanted to have sex with you in the middle of a forest doesn't mean that things have to be awkward between us right?" she babbled with amusement as Oliver walked past the threshold and into the apartment. "Besides it's not like you didn't already sort of know that now is it?" she teased as she shut the door before she leaned against the frame. 

Oliver gave her a soft but knowing smile. "I hoped but I didn't know," he told her as he looked around her home. "I like what you've done with the space," he commented as he slowly took in all the pictures she had placed along the walls. 

Felicity leaned forward until she was walking toward her kitchen counter. She went to where she had two chairs and placed her palms on the small overhang. She then lifted herself up until she was seated on the edge of her counter space. She dangled her legs and smiled as Oliver moved about her living room. "That picture was taken at Thanksgiving last year," she remarked when he stopped before a smaller framed photo of her and Sara. 

Oliver once again shoved his hands into the pockets of his dark wash jeans. "You look happy," he commented quietly. 

Felicity tilted her head slightly. "I was and now that you're here I find that I'm happy all over again…" she told him very directly. 

Oliver gave her a soft smile. "You don't have to say that Felicity," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders. 

Felicity smiled as she shook her head, "And for some strange reason you still seem to be under the impression that your feelings haven't been returned," she mused mostly to herself. 

Oliver's blue collared shirt made the blue in his surprised eyes even deeper. He slowly left the pictures he'd been inspecting. Felicity kept her eyes locked with his curious gaze as he slowly moved toward her. "Or maybe I'm just trying to gauge how strong those feelings are?" he offered once he stopped at the edge of the coffee table. 

Felicity inwardly smirked. He was playing a game to see if she knew what she really wanted and if she truly felt the same way. Felicity found she was willing to play if that's really what he wanted. She slowly straightened her back and slightly parted her thighs. "Well then if you want an answer then I suggest you come closer…" she took a slow beat as Oliver's eyes began to melt into an emotion that could easily get her into very hot water. "Or are you too afraid to touch me?" she teased as his steps brought him closer. 

"You're playing with me aren't you?" he accused as he boldly stepped into the space between her legs. His palms fell beside hers as he tightly grasped the edge of the counter. Felicity leaned back as he leaned in. She shrugged her shoulders innocently as she touched his knuckles with the tip of her pinky. 

"Maybe but, I've already told you what I want to do with you so honestly who's playing with who?" She asserted sweetly as she bit at her bottom lip. 

Oliver's lips fell into a faint smile but she could tell his heart was pounding. Felicity felt a tremor racing though her lower stomach as he slowly leaned closer. Felicity didn't move an inch. She let him gain the upper hand as he slowly grazed the tip of his nose against her own. "I think we're both playing a very dangerous game," he admitted as his lips began to hover over hers. 

Felicity gasped despite herself as his bottom lip grazed her upper lip. "And I think you should just kiss me already…" she finally managed to utter as her chest began rising rapidly. 

Oliver's mouth was so close she could nearly taste his mint flavored toothpaste. His lips felt soft as they grazed against her parted mouth. His chest brushed against hers as her back began to arch. Her knees began to hug his hips as her fingers clamped down on the counter. Her heart felt like it was being torn in two as her head tilted back. Oliver's lips gently caressed the soft skin of her exposed neck; making her gently moan, "Please don't stop," against the skin of his temple. 

Oliver bit at her pulse point as he began to devour her neck with his mouth. She felt the bones in her fingers beginning to break as his mouth sent tremors of desire down the length of her spine. His tongue licked at her skin while he slowly began to gently suckle at her neck. 

"You're giving me a damn hickey aren't you?" she moaned as he began to graze his lips up the column of her neck. 

Oliver actually chuckled as he gently kissed her lower jaw. "You told me not to stop…" 

Felicity laughed against his ear as he softly kissed her cheek. "I think you just enjoy teasing me." 

Oliver quickly kissed the tip of her nose before their foreheads came together. His blue eyes sparkled with humor and love. Felicity smiled. She gazed into his eyes willingly as their noses softly touched. "Perhaps but I've wanted to do that since sophomore year of high school," he whispered through his boyish smile. Felicity could barely control the butterflies in her stomach, she was so excited. Sadly her excited state veered to a content one when he mumbled ruefully, "But I did come here so we could talk…" 

Felicity murmured, "Yeah I assumed you wanted to talk but." Felicity slowly if not carefully brought her lips to his. "Can I?" She gulped shyly like she'd never kissed him before. 

Oliver nodded against her forehead. Felicity smiled as she kept her lips just out of reach. She could feel his lips slightly quiver when she whispered,"I rather enjoyed what you just did to my neck…"against his mouth. She then very quickly pecked his mouth with hers. "I even think I'd be open to doing it on a more frequent basis with perhaps a lot more touching and a few less layers between us?" she added with her lips still against his. 

Oliver sweetly pecked her lips back. "I think I could be open to that as well," he told her with his lips still against hers. Felicity was about to kiss him properly before he decided that the time to openly flirt was done. "But first we really need to talk…" 

Felicity rubbed her forehead against his as she replied, "I know…" as disappointment layered her tone.

Sensing her change of attitude made Oliver sigh, "How about I let you decide what we're doing while we talk?" he lightly suggested as her mood suddenly shifted. 

Felicity gulped, "You'd really let me choose?"

Oliver pecked her lips again, "I'd do anything for you.." he told her as he straightened his back and walked back from the edge of the counter. 

Felicity quickly hopped off the counter. She stood like a statue for a moment before she whispered, "Oh screw it," and walked towards him with open arms. 

Oliver embraced her fully as she nuzzled her cheek against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her upper body as she wrapped her arms around his waist. He rubbed his palms up and down the length of her back slowly as he placed his chin on the top of her head. "Felicity we have a lot to talk about…" 

She sighed against the fabric of his shirt. "I know but let me just enjoy this for a moment…" 

Oliver shifted his chin so he could kiss the crown of her head. "Which reminds me of something else we need to discuss." he told her empathetically. 

"You're trying to soften me up aren't you?" she guessed as Oliver rested his cheek against the crown of her forehead. 

"I've wanted you for as long as I can remember," he told her honestly with his heart completely bared for her to see. "But Felicity two weeks ago you wouldn't even talk to me and now I'm holding you, and kissing you and I need to understand why…" 

"Oliver, I know I have a lot to explain…" she acknowledged openly. "But before I do you need to know that you and me we're a we now okay?" 

Oliver's arms tightened slightly once she was done. She returned the gesture by making sure nothing could come between their bodies. "I think I can work with that," Oliver whispered into her hair. "But then you need to open up so we can move forward with your training and the bonding rituals that aren't covered in textbooks," he mentioned unevenly like he still didn't believe what his head and heart were both able to see. 

Felicity just snuggled closer. "Fine but I was about to take a bubble bath…" Felicity paused when she remembered what he'd told her last night. They'd have bare their souls and their bodies to the other in order for the bond to work. With that in mind Felicity decided to have a little fun while she bared her soul. "And I do recall that you mentioned intimacy training so I think that's a good place to start," she told him as she slowly began to pull away from the warmth of his embrace. Oliver let his arms fall to her waist as she slowly laced her right hand with his left hand. She then pulled at their joined hands. Oliver followed her willingly as she walked towards the small hall. She went down to the second door and walked past the threshold. She slipped off her slippers and then released his hand. Oliver watched her with fascination as she walked around the darkened room. 

Oliver didn't care to take in the decor. All he wanted to do was memorize her. She sat at the edge of the bed with her back towards him. He saw her check her phone before she glanced over her shoulder, "I know I owe you the truth and I want to tell you but…" 

Oliver realized she was scared. "Felicity I'm not going anywhere. I couldn't even if I tried," he admitted openly as she acknowledged him with her eyes. 

"Then you're going to join me?" she asked innocently like they'd been a couple for many years instead of a mere five minutes. 

Oliver she noticed was unsure. She could tell what he wanted to say but she could tell what he thought he should say. His eyes kept darting from the floor to her understanding gaze and then back to the floor. Felicity sighed softly. He was very nervous of what answer he should be offering. "Oliver it's okay to say no," Felicity exhaled slowly. 

His nervous blue eyes grew deeper when his soft, "It's not that I don't want to, it's just I'm not sure if either one of us are ready for that type of intimacy," left his quivering lips. 

"Oliver, it's a bubble bath not a wedding ring," Felicity teased him softly. "Yes I'll be naked but you did say we had to explore each other completely did you not?" she asked knowing that she had him on a technicality. "So what's the difference if you see me now or in a few days?" she finally asked as Oliver's brow seemed to rise curiously. 

"Whatever you're holding back from me is why you're so open to sharing a bath isn't it?" Oliver mused knowingly. 

Felicity attempted to shrug off his suggestion before she pulled up the hem of her hoodie. She knew he was watching her with heated eyes but she also knew Oliver. Sometimes being the rival created small openings for a merger amount of mutual understanding. She pulled the hoodie up and over her head before she flung it on the bed. Oliver's pulse increased. Felicity smirked but she didn't stop undressing. She slipped her fingers beneath the waistband of her pants. She was about to slide them down her hips when she decided to attempt to answer his posed query. "You dated Rebecca for almost a year before you allowed yourself to be intimate with her right?" 

Oliver crossed his arms but his eyes remained locked on her smiling face. "Yes. I knew she wasn't the one for me but," 

"She was there and I wasn't showing any indication of a change of heart," Felicity seemed to realize mostly to herself. 

Oliver nodded firmly. "So I decided to let her into my heart only to realize that in the end it was already taken," he carefully admitted while Felicity slipped her pants off her legs. She then walked into the bathroom. 

She heard Oliver's shirt hit the bed when she turned on the bathtubs faucet. She poured the vanilla and lavender scented bubble bath into the steaming water. Oliver's pants hit her hardwood floors with a soft thud. Felicity glanced over her shoulder. Oliver was leaning against the frame of the door with his arms crossed and his briefs still in place. His upper torso made her lower stomach ache. She'd had boyfriend's and she'd even had sex with two of them but none of them looked like Oliver. He was made of chiseled marble...he had to be she mused as her eyes quickly moved up and down his entire form. He didn't have one single flaw. His skin was taut, tanned and almost sparkled underneath her bathroom lights. His muscles rippled when he so much as took a fleeting breath. He was in essence completely and absolutely perfect...

"Well then you'll understand if I'm having a hard time admitting certain things when it comes to you?" Felicity finally breathed as she reached behind her back and undid the clasp of her bra. She tossed the article of clothing onto the floor. She then slipped off her underwear and quickly stepped into the inviting heat of the beautifully scented water. She was allowing him to see her vunerabilty and frankly it scared her to death. 

"You can trust me Felicity. You could and can always trust me with your heart Felicity…" Oliver breathed as she let her body disappear beneath the white blanket of bubbles. 

Felicity giggled, "That was an amazing line…" 

Oliver laughed as he told her, "Yes it was so just close your damn eyes…" 

Felicity did as requested but she couldn't help the words that left her smiling mouth. "Oh my God you just saw my naked backside and I'm being told to close my eyes… I mean seriously who's the girl in this relationship again?" 

"You just couldn't help yourself could you?" He sighed lightly. 

"Nope, it had to be said," she continued to tease him once she heard him removing his last vestage of clothing. 

Oliver's amused, "Oh just wait until the tables are turned…" made her giggle before she felt the water sloshing against her chest. She peaked open an eye when the water level began to equalize. Oliver had his arms resting against the sides of the tub. The water came to the middle of his chest. She opened the other eye and smiled. "See, look it's harmless," she teased as Oliver's lips spread into a wide smile. 

"Do you think you might answer a few questions now?

Felicity shrugged. "Sure. I'm just enjoying the warmth of the water…" she stated innocently. She placed the nape of her neck against the edge of the tub. Her eyes closed as she placed her arms along the sides. She kept her knees bent and off to one side. She might be teasing Oliver but that's as far as her teasing would go. 

Oliver's smile was evident in his tone when he sighed, "So back to my first question what caused the rapid change of heart?" 

Felicity opened her eyes. She looked for any signs of stress or discomfort along his chiseled face. His soft smile was genuine. The small lines of his forehead weren't visible. His endlessly blue eyes looked calm and she avoided glancing at his chest. She knew what would happen once she allowed herself to memorize how his taut skin looked wet. Felicity cleared her throat when she attempted an honest answer. "Okay fine, do you remember three years ago when you were deathly ill?" 

Oliver sighed and her eyes darted towards his chest. The way his body moved caused her insides to twist. "I remember bits and pieces why?" 

Felicity suddenly wished she hadn't pushed for a bubble bath. It was hard to focus when all she wanted was to discover how he felt when he… she stopped before she could complete her inner sentence. Sometimes waiting led to incredible discoveries. "Well you were feverish and mumbling my name," she began with what felt like frogs in her throat. "You begged me to stay with you and I did until your fever broke the next morning." 

Oliver's chest rose when his grateful voice pushed her lingering fears away. "I remember holding your hand and telling you that I loved you and that I'd only ever love you." He kept his eyes locked with hers through the entire statement. He wanted her to feel what he felt when it came to her. 

Felicity nearly came right then and there she was so aroused by his confession. "Yeah…" she coughed unsteadily, "well after that I curled into your side and let you hold me until I saw the sun making its way up towards the heavens," she whispered almost poetically. "It was then that I knew I could very easily fall in love with you," she mentioned softly with their eyes still locked on eachother. 

"Well you saved my life so thank you for staying with me," he replied gratefully. 

Felicity murmured, "You're welcome and don't hate me for this but I have to know what caused your illness?" 

Oliver laughed. The heady spell of intoxication was broken. Felicity felt her lower stomach relaxing as his fingers slipped against the nape of his neck. His amusement made even her toes curl with happiness as he said, "Oh I knew you'd want to know more about Rebecca…" Felicity shrugged which caused the water to ripple. Oliver chuckled, "Okay, okay… Rebecca was brought here three years ago because I'd made a decision that horrified my mother." 

"And that was?" Felicity asked with a great deal of interest. 

Oliver's head moved from side to side as he tried to find the right words. "I decided I wasn't going to mate unless you somehow by some miracle fell in love with me. Moira freaked out and she sent for Rebecca. They tried to force me to make the bond by…" his light voice stilled as he swallowed the lump that had formed suddenly in his throat. "Forcing me to renounce my love for you with the decision to emotionally bond with another," he concluded very somberly. 

"How did they do that?" came her muffled reply once she had her palm against her mouth.

Oliver solemnly said, "They told me what I already knew to be true." 

"Oh…" Felicity uttered sadly. 

"Yeah well it didn't work because I didn't care. I loved you…" his voice broke when he corrected his last words. He locked his eyes with her sad ones to drive his point home. "I love you and for me that is enough." 

Felicity gulped. Oliver kept his honest gaze upon her face as she swallowed her feelings. She wasn't sure if she could say the words that he so easily announced. She was afraid but she was also afraid of what would happen if she didn't say anything at all. "Oliver?" she finally peeped once she felt that her silence had gone on for far too long. 

His gaze never wavered. "Felicity I've had years. You've had weeks. You don't owe me declarations that you aren't ready to make," he told her with nothing but understanding. 

Felicity smiled but then she felt his heart beginning to pound. Oliver might be able to feel and hear her heart but she could do that and so much more. His mind was racing. His nerves were on fire and she realized that she already knew why. "You heard what I said didn't you?" she questioned him once she realized why he didn't need to hear how she felt. 

Oliver's heart began to slow. "I always stay behind to make sure you're safe Felicity. I have ever since college," he admitted without actually answering her question. 

Felicity felt her smile growing. "You totally heard me say that I'd fallen in love with you!" she laughingly accused before she splashed a few bubbles toward his face.

"Yes, okay I heard you and no you don't have to say it to my face until you're ready," he laughed easily when he splashed her back. 

Felicity rolled her eyes but giggled anyway. "I meant it you know, what I said in the forest," she told him as she regained her composure. "I have fallen in love with you," she laughed while she cleared a few bubbles from her face. 

Oliver leaned forward. "Well that's a good thing because I'm completely in love with you…" he murmured as Felicity inched closer. 

"You're just way too comfortable with those words," she noted but it wasn't with fear. She said it because it left her stunned. Most men she'd met ran away when words like love and commitment came into play but Oliver wasn't one of them. 

Oliver leaned even closer. Felicity let him as she too inched just a bit closer. She saw his arms shift along the sides of the tub. She could tell he was debating on whether he could touch her or not. Felicity smiled when his thoughts began to drift through her mind. "You can touch me Oliver, I'm not going to object," she advised him softly as she brought her knees up to her chest. 

Oliver smiled. "You heard my thoughts I take it?" 

Felicity nodded slowly. "Does that bother you?" She timidly asked as his palms fell over her shoulders.

He rubbed his thumbs along the crest of her collarbones as his blue eyes twinkled happily. "No. I like that you can hear me," he told her openly. 

She rested her cheek against his knuckles when he gently squeezed her shoulders. She felt his heart beating steadily. He felt content but it was more than that. She knew he finally felt complete. It sent a small shiver down her spine that she knew exactly how he felt. His thumbs grazed over her pulse points. Their knees gently bumped as Felicity brought her soapy fingers up to his forearms. She rubbed the pads of her fingers up and down his sud covered skin. "Would it surprise you if I told you that I wanted to be bonded to you?" She let her timid voice drop once she felt his heart beginning to race. 

Oliver's lips began to curve into a soft smile. His eyes however conveyed shock. The way his brow wrinkled made her something inside her smile. He was surprised but also incredibly happy. That alone made anything he could say irrelevant in Felicity's heart. "So it's not just…" 

"It's because I love you…" Felicity told him quietly. "I want to be your mate because I love you and I have loved you since the night I sunk into your house when you were sick," she finally told him with the smallest voice she could find. 

Oliver's fingers gently kneaded her aching shoulders. He cocked his head so their eyes could meet. "Thank you for telling me the truth," he whispered. 

Felicity felt his touch still along her skin as she slightly gripped his forearms. He gave her a concerned look but she uttered, "Don't worry," then took a deep breath. His concerned eyes never faded. "It's just I've kept how I feel about you trapped and now I don't have to and it's just…" she took another breath.

"Like a weight's been lifted off your chest," Oliver mused knowingly as Felicity smiled.

"Exactly," Felicity breathed. "It's like I'm allowed to breath again," she added gently. 

Oliver's chin fell to his chest as he gently laughed. "I can completely relate." 

Felicity laughed as well. "Well not that I don't want to keep talking but I'm starting to prune…" 

Oliver laughed. "How do you want to do this?" 

"Oh I see no reason to be shy," Felicity told him as she slowly began to stand. Oliver's eyes went wide for a split second. Felicity giggled, "Again when I change you'll see all of me anyways…" 

Oliver gulped, "Rebecca was never this assertive." 

Felicity held his arms. "Well I am so stand up," she instructed him without shame. "I'm not fearful of you seeing me," she told him. "I also know you won't do anything until I make the first move," she teased him as they slowly stood as one. Felicity could see the apprehension in his eyes. "Oliver just look into my eyes. You're not doing anything wrong baby…" she consoled him softly. 

He nodded as he helped her out of the tub. Felicity grabbed her bathrobe and threw him a white towel. He immediately took the garment and wrapped it around his waist. Then and only then would he step out of the tub and onto the bathmat below his feet. Felicity laughed a bit but kept her hand over her mouth. Oliver glared at her reaction but she could tell he wasn't angry. His eyes still reflected warmth and most importantly love. "If you're this modest now how on Earth are we going to share a bed?" She commented as Oliver's mouth dropped. 

"We're going to what now?" He rasped like he's never slept with a woman before. 

"You heard me," she shouted from inside her closet. "I've spent enough of my nights alone and I'm not about to do it again," she remarked as she came back out wearing another red ensemble. She also was holding a pair of boxers and a black tee shirt. Oliver gave her a strange look that she disregarded. After their phone call she decided to hope for a possible sleepover. That morning she'd gone out and bought him a few items that he might need if her wish came true. 

"Being involved with you won't ever be boring will it?" He asked once he once

again remembered how to breathe. 

Felicity came straight towards him. She stopped once she was about an inch from his chest. She kissed his sternum then proceeded to walk away but before she was out of sight she called back over her shoulder, "How about you lose the towel, join me in bed and find out…" 

She repressed her laughter when she heard him mumbling, "Why couldn't I love a boring woman...or better yet one who didn't know how damn beautiful she was…" Felicity wanted to tell him that he made her feel confident enough to be naked in front of him both physically and emotionally. Felicity knew he wouldn't see her flaws because to him she was perfect. Oliver kept mumbling as he dried himself off and looked for a toothbrush. Felicity chuckled when he eventually used hers. She waited until he'd ventured back into her bedroom before she went back to her closet. She pulled out a new toothbrush then entered the bathroom before she proceeded to brush her teeth. She then pulled out another new toothbrush and placed both in the medicine cabinet. 

Felicity then crawled into her bed and waited for her stubborn boyfriend to decide he could share a bed. Oliver did eventually join her in bed. He mumbled beneath his breath about love being complicated. Felicity heard him and hoped he could appreciate her sense of humor. Apparently he could. Oliver pulled her back to his chest and kissed her cheek before she felt his body beginning to relax. He didn't tell her what he thought of her comment because he didn't have to. He'd already given her plenty of visuals to chew on as they both drifted into a deep sleep. 


	8. Being a Couple is Hard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara and the rest of the town begins to find out that Oliver and Felicity are a couple. Felicity starts connecting with her wolf.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. I own nothing in relation to Arrow or it's characters.

**Chapter 8: Being a Couple is Hard**

Felicity rolled her eyes in irritation. 

But Sara often invoked that response when she busted through her front door at 4 in the morning. 

Felicity was sitting at her kitchen counter. Oliver bless his heart was taking a shower in order to give them a modicum of privacy. "Oh my God Felicity I'm so sorry…" Sara gulped as she held her palms together like she was attempting to say a prayer to God. "I'm just so used to you being alone," she explained with nothing but an extremely apologetic tone. 

Felicity had her legs crossed. Her arms were also crossed against her stomach and her eyes weren't happy. "Yes I know but from now Oliver being with me will be a thing so…" she let her sentence drop in hopes that her sister would get the unexpressed point.

Sara's eyes went wide, "Oh my God you're making it official? Like official, official? Like you're going to be holding hands and kissing in public, official?" She rambled with complete excitement. 

Felicity's eyes once again met the ceiling when Sara began to clap her hands. "Sara you're being ridiculous and what do you mean official? No one thinks that we're dating…" Felicity felt her stern tone fading when she mumbled, "Oh my God! Do people think Oliver and I are already dating?" 

Sara bit at her lower lip as she nodded slowly. She only released her lip when she sputtered, "Oh sissy… People have been wondering why you two haven't been more affectionate. I mean you've been fated since grade school after all…" 

Felicity felt her body moving forward as her forehead hit the counter. "Why do we have to live in such a small town…" she moaned gently. 

She knew Sara was shrugging even if she couldn't see her. "Well look at this way at least you don't have to worry about what people will think?" she suggested as she looked for the right words to say. 

Felicity laughed hollowly, "Oh goodie! I don't have to hide my boyfriend! That's a relief!" 

"Oh come on Felicity! It's not like you haven't been sorta of dating for the past two weeks anyways right?" 

Felicity lifted her head off the counter but only so she could rest her chin on the granite. "And how exactly have we been dating? Because for me that involves flowers and dinners and maybe even a movie." She lamented sarcastically. Then that is followed by making out until you move on to having sex!" She added with a bit of a yell. "It's not lunch on a park bench with a few weekend tips to the meadow and absolutely no touching!" she finished with an irritated tone. 

Sara glanced at her sister with humor dancing within her eyes. Felicity glared at her seemingly amused expression. "What?" Felicity glowered. 

Sara's smile played against her pink lips like a secret that she was dying to tell. "Does he know that you're crazy about him?" she asked as she leaned against the front of her fridge. 

Felicity glared but her sigh of exasperation told a different story. "Yes and no…but that's not the point." 

Sara giggled. "Oh it completely is the point because regardless of what you think you two have been dating and you're ready to move past the flirting aren't you?" 

Felicity felt her chin slip as her forehead once again met the counter. "I was ready to do it right in the middle of the freaking woods," she grumbled. "I think about him constantly. I actually feel my heart race whenever he so much as brushes my damn shoulder. I mean I actually ache when I'm not with him and oh my God when I am… oh that ache is one that makes me long for my life to be a romance novel…" she babbled as she realized why the town thought they were dating. They basically already were. "Oh my God I've been dating Oliver Queen and he's barely even kissed me!" 

Sara couldn't help snickering, "You finally accepted that he's the one haven't you?" 

"Yes but he already knows that…" she replied quickly. 

"Well then I have some questions," Sara mentioned with joy seeping back into her tone. 

Felicity moaned, "Sara he has to train me first…" 

"Oh please Tommy's going to do that," Sara announced proudly. "What I want to know is how much of our conversation did he hear? Is he crazy about you as well and is he going to be with you on Halloween?" 

Felicity had just begun to lift her head when Oliver walked out of her bedroom wearing his clothes from the night before. Felicity made a mental note to have Oliver leave some of his stuff at her apartment for when he slept over. She also decided she would do the same for when they went to his house. She made that choice when she realized that if she ever wanted to have sex with her boyfriend they'd have no other choice. Sara loved her and wanted her to be happy but she was never going to knock on the door or even let a lock slow her down. 

"And speak of the werewolf!" Sara exclaimed as Oliver walked towards his now frowning girlfriend. He rubbed her shoulders affectionately as he took the seat beside her. Felicity leaned into his shoulder when he placed his arm around her waist. He kissed her cold forehead before he directed his attention back towards Sara's elated face. 

"Tommy training you should be interesting," he started with a somewhat stern tone. Felicity could have kissed him squarely on the lips for his tone alone. "I'm crazy about Felicity as Tommy can tell you and from now on we'll be spending our nights at my home so I can maybe get past second base without being interrupted."

Sara snickered but gave him an impressed, "Touche my friend. Touche."

Oliver smiled almost proudly. "Oh and yes I'll be with her on Halloween," he told her warmly with another emotion that Felicity couldn't name. 

Sara glanced at the time. She knew she had to go but before she did she made sure to make one last embarrassing statement. "Oh and umm Oliver you'll easily make it to home plate regardless of where you are…"

After that Felicity growled from Oliver's side, "Goodbye Sara!" as her sister turned the knob and quickly left the room. 

"So is she right?" Oliver asked once he heard Sara's footsteps along the floorboards of the stairs. 

Felicity grumbled against his shirt, "About you reaching home plate sooner rather than later?" 

Oliver sweetly said, "Yeah I kinda wanna know if that's factual." 

Felicity mumbled, "Sadly yes…" 

Oliver's chest rumbled with pride, "Well that's definitely something to look forward to after a few proper dates that might even include a movie," he told her softly as she 

glanced up into his loving eyes. 

"There is no way you were always this sweet," Felicity remarked softly. "I couldn't have hated someone who was," she whispered with her chin still resting against his chest. 

Oliver once again kissed her forehead. "I wasn't so don't worry," he whispered against her skin. "But I will tell you that I was never this sweet with Rebecca so take that for what it's worth I suppose." 

Felicity couldn't help it. That for some odd reason just made her overly happy. "You know what just for that we're going to make out…" Felicity breathed as she began to stand. 

Oliver stood with her but hesitated when she started pushing him onto the sofa that was against the wall. "Hey you really don't have to do this if you're not ready," he told her as his palms skimmed along her waist. 

Felicity stood on the tips of her toes as she quickly cupped his face with her palms. "Oliver?" she rasped. 

"Yeah?" he gulped as she leaned towards his mouth. 

"Just shut up and kiss me," she ordered with her lips almost completely against his mouth. 

Oliver smiled as their lips connected. Felicity felt him wrapping his arms around her waist as she skimmed her tongue against his. Oliver's soft lips fit against her mouth perfectly as they shared a long, deep and completely erotic kiss. 

When she felt his fingers moving up the small of her back she dragged her fingers down to his shoulders. She then broke the kiss and pushed him onto the sofa. Oliver went willingly with the cutest smile plastered along his breathtaking face. "I want you…" Felicity whispered as she debated her next move.

"I want you too," he said with nothing sweet lingering in his whiskey like tone. 

She quickly lifted her hoodie up and over her head before she straddled his waist and began to lean forward. 

She felt his fingers roaming along the middle of her back. She smiled as he began to undo the clasp of her bra. Her lips were mere inches from his mouth when there was a loud knock on the door. Oliver's fingers stilled with one hook left to undo. Felicity's forehead fell onto Oliver's when she heard her mother's shrill voice say, "Felicity? Sara told me you were awake and apparently not alone. Open the door! We have things to discuss!" 

"I'm packing a bag and tonight we're staying at your house," Felicity lamented as Oliver kissed her quickly. 

"Deal," he whispered against her mouth before she got off his chest, re-hooked her bra and put her hoodie back on. After she made sure Oliver was standing she finally opened the door.

* * *

  
"Alright class, who can tell me why we celebrate Founder's Day with festivals and parades?" Oliver asked his sixth grade students who he assumed were barely paying attention. 

He paced before his students with their essays in his hands. His dark gray slacks moved effortlessly against his legs with each step he took. He'd removed his jacket and had his white dress shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He looked up and down the aisles. Most of his going students immediately looked down when he happened to catch their gaze. One student in particular was trying to disappear all together. Oliver stopped in front of the third aisle from the window. He peered down his nose at the student in the third desk from the front. The young man was almost in the floor when Oliver cleared his throat, "Allbie, how about you give this question a shot." 

The young man's eyes flared with anger but his slouched form immediately began to return back to a seated position. "This whole thing is a bunch of bull Mr. Queen and everyone knows it," he declared with more attitude than Oliver cared for. But Oliver being Oliver loved a challenge. 

"That's an automatic detention for the attitude unless you can give me an actual answer," Oliver offered with a terse tone. 

The younger man seemed to be intrigued. He leaned forward slightly. His dark eyes grew a bit brighter when he carefully said, "So if I say that the whole thing was constructed to hide the ceremonies of the witches and the werewolves would get me out of detention?" 

Oliver smiled all be it slightly. "Yes, I'd say it would," he told him almost proudly. 

Allbie leaned back in his chair. His dark hair fell across his brow when he breathed, "Well then teach that's my answer." 

Oliver sighed as he began to pace. "Well then your detention is lifted but act like that again and you're seeing the Principal got it?" 

The child smiled and just like magic the bell rang. "Remember everyone tomorrow is the last day for the week because of the Founder's day festival!" Oliver called out as his students quickly disappeared. He just laughed as the room once again became quiet. He was placing the essays on his desk when he heard a soft but inviting, "So wanna take a walk with me?" coming from his open doorway. 

He turned around. Felicity was walking toward him with a carefree smile. After Donna left and Felicity ranted she'd grabbed a quick shower once he left to change for work. They met outside before their first class underneath a Willow tree. He kissed her deeply enough that when they parted she was left gasping for air. He told her she looked beautiful with her red pencil skirt and knee high brown leather boots. He didn't see her creme colored blouse because she was wearing her signature red coat. She kissed him deeply with their tongues both dueling as their lips danced in perfect harmony. When they parted her cheeks were red as were her lips. He'd told her he loved her before he kissed her forehead and headed into the building. Felicity however decided to stop him. He'd given her a confused look but she just grabbed his hand and waited until he laced his fingers with hers. Then they walked into the building hand in hand. Coming back to the present Oliver whispered, "I missed you,"once she was a few inches from his chest. 

"That's funny because I missed you too…" she replied as she reached for his hands. Oliver smiled when she laced their fingers together and leaned forward. He met her halfway then kissed her lips slowly. 

Felicity kissed his cheek before she undid their joined hands and wrapped her arms securely around his waist. Oliver joined his hands against the small of her back as he brought her closer to his chest. Felicity placed her chin against his sternum and smiled up at him as he placed a kiss against the tip of her nose. "How has your day been so far?" he asked her lightly as she joined her hands behind his back. 

"It's been long because I'm exhausted and because for some odd reason all I can seem to focus on is you?" She told him honestly with a small yawn. 

Oliver pressed his forehead to hers. "Do you wanna walk to the park?" He asked her before he kissed her nose gently. 

"Yeah, and then ummm after schools over we can just head to your house?" she suggested almost coyly. 

Oliver laughed knowingly, "Felicity are you trying to tell me that you'd like to be alone with me?" 

She smirked as she playfully glared, "If you want to continue what I was trying to start this morning than you better be nice to me," she warned him playfully. 

Oliver kissed her mouth quickly as he said, "I'm all for continuing what we started this morning…" 

Felicity giggled, "Good, now let's get going before a student walks in here and finds us kissing," against his mouth. 

Oliver pecked her lips once more before they separated. Oliver quickly put the essays in his desk then locked the drawer. He then reached for her hand. She laced their fingers together as they left the empty classroom. The halls were mostly empty as they walked hand and hand down the hallway. A few students saw them and began to whisper but otherwise they were invisible. 

Oliver pushed open the door with his free hand. Felicity laughed at his gentlemanly behavior as she dragged him past the threshold with her. The air was cool but because of the sun it felt unseasonably warm. They walked hand and hand down to the park bench that they'd secretly called their own for the past two weeks.

Felicity sat first and then Oliver followed. She then unlaced their hands and scooted closer until Oliver lifted his arm. Felicity snuggled into his side as he draped his arm across her shoulders. She then reached for his free hand. Once she laced their fingers she placed her other hand along his knee. She then crossed her ankles and placed her cheek against his chest. "So how exactly does one train their mate to become a wolf? I mean are there books, or diagrams? Oh maybe you have pictures?" Felicity asked humorously once she was completely settled against his side. 

Oliver sighed out an amused, "Felicity, honey wolves are trained by family. We tell stories and learn to connect to our wolf by trusting our emotions and learning to control them. We don't really have a scientific approach."

Felicity didn’t seem to like that idea since she huffed instead of spoke. Oliver chuckled. It made sense. She was a witch. They used books and spells with thousands of different parchment scrolls that were passed down from coven to coven. She existed in a world where instinct was replaced by knowledge. Oliver was asking her to let go of what she knew and trusted in order to trust him. Oliver also knew why she was suddenly so affectionate. Her wolf was waking up. Her inner most desires and thoughts were starting to awaken and he knew he had to bring them completely to the surface. The question was how and when. “You do recall that I’m fairly good at reading other people’s thoughts right?”

Oliver felt her voice vibrating through his chest. He sighed but it wasn’t in aggravation. He liked that she could hear what he was thinking. It made what he had to do that much easier. “Well was I wrong?” he asked her honestly. “You have to trust someone that up until recently you didn’t trust at all,” he reminded her gently. 

Felicity didn’t budge which made his heart ache a little less. She did however rub her cheek against his chest. “You’re going to make me admit things that I don’t even know I’m lying about aren’t you?” she asked even though she pretty much had already come to that conclusion. 

Oliver’s tone dropped slightly. Her tone had sounded tired if not fearful. “It’s about you facing what’s truly in your heart and your soul Felicity. Your wolf is an extension of you. She doesn’t control you, she’s part of you. She’s the part that’s reckless, impulsive and ambitous. She’s also the part of you that feels strangely connected to me,” he finished lightly. 

“I never felt unconnected from you Oliver. That’s not just the wolf, that’s always been me as well,” she breathed very confidently which left Oliver feeling almost winded. 

“So…” he gasped almost in shock. “Are you trying to tell me that perhaps you never hated me at all?” 

Felicity rolled her eyes even though he couldn’t see her. “I’m saying that in the past two weeks I’ve never been more confused or more confident in what I feel when it comes to you,”she responded evenly. 

Oliver pulled her closer. Felicity squeezed at their joined hands as he spoke against her brow. “Well tonight I aim to remedy your confusion.”

Felicity seemed to appreicate his words because moments later she gently kissed his shirt before they both settled into a comfortable silence. 

* * *

  
The rest of the day went by quickly. After they cuddled…. Felicity had to laugh at the image as she realized that’s what they’d been doing. It still sent shivers down her spine when she realized she was openly dating someone who’d been her rival. She was packing up her desk and getting everything ready for the annual festival closure of the school. As she finished packing things up she let her mind drift. In the beginning of their strange relationship Felicity honestly thought Oliver was cute. She could still remember what he was wearing when they first met and she could still remember their first words. 

She shook her head at the memory and moved forward towards the present. It was hard to describe how natural it felt when she was with him. Felicity had felt awkward in the cemetery but that next day when they’d been walking through the park she hadn’t. It was sometimes still scary how quickly they’d progressed but Felicity knew that if she were being honest she was surprised they hadn’t gotten together in college. Even when they hated eachother there was always the underlying sexual attraction. Combine that with their emotional bond and well that’s what led to her deciding they were done being apart after only two weeks. It was also terrifying how at ease she felt in her own skin whenever he was with her. She didn’t feel awkward or unsure of what she should say or do. She instead felt confident. She felt strong and she felt oddly complete like he’d been the missing piece of not just her heart but perhaps even her soul. Those thoughts alone scared her. She wasn’t some weak minded woman who needed a man to complete her. She was complete all on her own but with Oliver it didn’t feel that way. He completed her in a way that she wasn’t even sure could exist. 

Her desk was cleared and everything was locked up when she heard the rain beginning to pelt against the windows of her classroom. The rain wasn’t heavy but she could tell that there was a storm moving in. She smiled quietly to herself at her good luck. Rain met Oliver’s plan to make her run through the forest would be postponed until the weather cleared. It also meant she might actually be able to seduce her boyfriend…

Felicity lingered on that silent statement for a moment. In her past relationships she’d never been shy but, she certainly hadn’t been the aggressive one. She let them make the first move and then she decided if she wanted to proceed. For example when she was dressing for work she realized she’d been naked in front of Oliver and nothing about it felt unnatural. She wasn’t concerned about her imperfections or if he noticed them. She realized that she wanted him to see her. She wanted him to touch her, and to feel the skin of her breasts within his palms. Felicity realized that last night she’d wanted him to want her, to desire her, and then to act on his feelings. It was only now that she realized she wanted him to make the first move. Sharing the bathtub had been her first move, taking her bra off that morning had been her second move and now she wanted him to make the third. 

She was brought back to her classroom when she heard Tabatha, one of her students saying her name. Felicity glanced towards her open door and smiled kindly. Tabatha smiled back. “Ms. Smoak, can I ask you a personal question?” she asked once she knew her teacher was looking at her. 

Felicity leaned against the edge of her desk. She folded her arms against her chest and crossed her ankles. Her head was tilted slightly as she gave her often curious student a humorous, “Well that depends on how personal the question is.” 

Tabatha’s freckled face broke into a wide smile. “It’s about you and Mr. Queen,” she laughed before she continued. “I saw you two holding hands today and well I was wondering if maybe you and him were dating?” 

Felicity smirked but her smile grew as her chin fell to her chest. “Well I usually don’t answer those types of questions but, yes…” Felicity took a short breath when she realized what she was about to say then exhaled, “Yes Mr. Queen and I are dating.” 

“Well I’m glad,” her student with the red hair announced lightly. “You deserve to be happy and I can tell he makes you happy,” she finished before she left the doorway and Felicity smiling. 

“That he does,” Felicity murmured to the doorway as she stood. She was halfway to the door when another face appeared at her open doorway. This face was handsome, chiselled and responded to her smile by grabbing her waist and pulling her to his chest. Felicity wrapped her arms around his shoulders and locked her fingers against the nape of his neck. “So a student asked if we were dating,” Felicity giggled as Oliver quickly kissed her cheek before he placed a longer kiss against her mouth. 

“And I’m guessing you said…” he let the question drop purposefully as their foreheads touched. 

“I said yes,” Felicity whispered against his mouth before she kissed him slowly. 

When they broke apart Oliver tugged her against his side. Felicity shut the lights off in the classroom and closed the door. She noticed that Oliver had an umbrella in his other hand. She smiled when she realized why he’d pulled her close. He didn’t want her to get soaked on the way to his car. The school halls were empty. The lights were off and the rain felt like it was inside the building instead of out as they reached the front doors. Oliver used his elbow to push open the door. He then held it ajar with his foot while he quickly undid the umbrella. Once he felt it would open he pulled them both through the opened door and out to over hang of the building. He then pressed the button and lowered the opening umbrella to the ground. Not wanting to let her go he opted to use his foot to secure the latch at the top. Felicity smiled as he quickly escorted her to his car with the umbrella over their heads to block the rain. 

He opened her car door first and let her climb in. He made sure she was completely in the seat and shielded from the rain before he closed her door and moved to the driver’s side. He wasn’t concerned about getting wet so he’d closed up the umbrella before he got into the car. He stored the umbrella in the back with his briefcase and a few spare ties. “You’re quite the gentleman, you know that?” Felicity teased as Oliver started the car. He was glancing over his shoulder when he replied, “Well you’re worth the effort.”

Felicity agreed with a nod. Oliver finished backing out of the parking lot and was almost to the town’s main road when he lightly suggested that they decide on dinner before they got too far away from town. 

“Well what do you have in your fridge?” Felicity asked quickly. She knew that the moment they were spotted by the locals the questions would be endless. 

Oliver appeared to be thinking about her simple question with great concern. His brow even furrowed before he gulped, “I’m honestly not sure…”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me,”Felicity laughed as Oliver stopped at the red light. 

“Well I mean we can risk it or we can go to the grocery store,” he told her simply as the light turned green. 

Felicity decided impulsively to risk it. Hell if things went the way she wanted them to dinner would be the last thing on his mind. “Oh I’m sure we’ll find something…”she offered very lightly with her hands folded in her lap. 

Oliver’s eyes slipped from the road and towards her face. She glanced at him sweetly like she had nothing but pure intent. “I’m good with a little risk,”he murmured suggestively which made Felicity’s insides burst. He knew what she was trying to do and he seemed open to the idea. 

After that they grew quiet. The ride from town wasn’t long but Oliver wasn’t taking the usual roads so the drive was even shorter. Instead of taking the road that went along the cove Oliver drove down a dirt path that bypassed his family’s home and instead went straight to his backdoor. Felicity couldn’t see if the home had changed much in the past three years because of the rain. She noticed that the home was now painted white instead of gray and the shutters were gray instead of black. The home itself was a one story paneled structure that Oliver would only live in until he became the pack alpha. Once that happened he along with his chosen mate would be expected to take up residence in the family home, The 3 story brick palace. His parent’s would then come here while Oliver and his wife started to build their own family. Felicity wondered idly if Oliver would want to have children right away or if he’d want to wait until they’d been married for a few years…

That thought nearly stopped Felicity’s heart and that meant it nearly stopped Oliver’s…

Married? When did they go from dating to married and living in the family home? Felicity took a few unsteady breaths as Oliver immeadility put the car into park. He then shifted in his seat and reached for Felicity’s forearms. She felt her chest expanding harshly. Oliver’s touch sent shivers down her spine as he attempted to calm her down. Her heart raced and her face flushed. Thousands of images suddenly began racing through her mind and some were fairly graphic…

“Felicity, honey you have to breathe…” Oliver begged as her pulse became erratic. 

She gasped, “Can’t… images, so many images… you and me… sex...lots of sex… and oh god… naked… skin…”

Oliver’s fingers clung to her coat as he began to beg for her to listen to him. “Felicity you have to breathe baby. You’re having a panic attack because you’re fighting your inner wolf. You control her and that means you can control what you’re seeing…”

“I can?” she seemed to ask rapidly as a few more graphic images of her on top of Oliver began racing through her mind. 

Oliver’s soft voice never wavered, “Yes baby, you can. She’s showing you your inner most thoughts and desires. She’s trying to connect with you so let her. Accept what you want by simply accepting what you’re seeing,” he instructed softly. “Just accept that it’s what you want and the images will begin to slow down,” he promised as Felicity attempted to accept what she was thinking, feeling and now seeing. She closed her eyes and let the images flood her heart. At first she struggled to breathe. Her lungs felt like they were encased in iron. She gasped in panic but Oliver just kept telling her to breathe so she did. With each panicked breath she managed to take she felt the iron around her lungs beginning to weaken. The images didn’t decrease nor did the intensity but, her reaction to them lessened. She didn’t feel threatened or scared of what she was seeing… she actually began to feel an erie sense of calm washing through her body until the iron around her lungs was finally gone. 

Taking a deep, long breath Felicity asked once she was willing to exhale, “So apparently my inner desire involves you and I having sex….” she took another gulp of air before she added a quick, “Like a lot of sex….like all the time….”she gulped when the images were finally gone. 

Oliver finally took his own deep breath. Felicity noted that he seemed just as relieved as she was when he exhaled, “Yeah, you should’ve been in my head when I was seventeen…”

Felicity asked still somewhat out of breath, “So the ummm sex thing is a normal desire I take it?” 

Oliver seemed to cringe when he replied, “The wolf aspect of you until you’re trained can be fairly primal.”

“Primal, like a caveman or some sort of reckless animal?” Felicity gulped in concern. 

Oliver’s eyes fell to his lap. His entire body seemed to cringe. This topic made him uncomfortable but, despite that he told her the truth and that made Felicity love him even more. “Honestly?”

Felicity’s breathing was back under control but her face was still flushed. “If you can stand it yeah,” she told him with a bit more apprehension that she was counting on. 

“It’s like you have no control over what you want or even who,”he told her with his own uneven breathing beginning to fill the car. “Everything you want and everyone you want is taken to an almost insatiable degree. For example when I was seventeen I wanted you, and I mean I wanted you so much so that it nearly destroyed me and my relationship with my family. I was insane with desire so that’s when my father taught me to run…” Felicity gave him an odd look which Oliver shrugged off when he added, “He taught me to wolf out as you call it and run until my desires were depleted. He taught me to harness those feelings into something productive.” 

Felicity felt something strange beginning to prickle at the back of her neck, “Wait a minute,”she gulped when she finally realized why he liked to run at night… “Oh my god that’s why you run at night isn’t it?”

Oliver blushed but told her honestly, “Yes. I run at night to control my feelings in regards to you.” 

Felicity suddenly felt winded but she kept her composure. “Okay so ummm, yeah… we ummm…” she took a beat. She felt calm but she was afraid to speak her mind. Oliver’s fingers rubbed along her forearms supportively as she cast her eyes down to her lap. “So ummm you and I clearly want to be together…” she finally mumbled once she couldn’t find the perfect words. “And that’s why you told me about intimacy training isn’t it?”

Oliver’s forehead fell over her shoulder as he leaned forward. “Yes because if we simply act on our impulses then we’d be missing everything else. I don’t want just a physical relationship. They don’t last. We have to be together emotionally as well,”he told her quite honestly. “I want us to be bonded and ready to take the next step before you and I take that step…” he added softly. 

Felicity placed her cheek on the crown of his head. “Okay and I want that too, but are you still okay with other forms of intimacy?” she squeaked slightly. 

“I’m okay with exploring those other forms,” Oliver whispered against her shoulder as they both came to an unspoken agreement. 

It was in that moment that Oliver and Felicity both realized that they were still in this car. Oliver kissed her cheek once he lifted his head off her shoulder. He was reaching for the umbrella when Felicity placed her hand along his forearm, “I don’t mind getting wet…” she told him warmly. Oliver smiled at the double meaning in her words. 

“Neither do I…” He told her as they both decided it might be time to leave the car. 


End file.
